Tales of PhanDom
by Neozangetsu
Summary: I'm just your average useless kid who can't deal with his own reality. Everything changed when I met this weird lady, and she offered a way to escape my reality. In return; I Save 2 Worlds. I'm no Hero, and my name isn't Neo... it's Maxwell. Multi-SI
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Neozangetsu doesn't own other authors, or their OCs, or special equipment that belongs to them. Nor does he own any of the 'Tales of' series except for this story. He also owns his own OCs (i.e Jenny, Kiyohime), and equipment, weapon ideas, etc.**

**Me: Yo! Quick explanations time! When I said, Multi-SI, I meant that other authors are gonna star in this story with me. Sorry for the long hiatus, I promise the readers that actually like me that I'll update the stories you want updated.**

**Read Chapter 1 immeadiately after the Prologue (Loading mishaps wouldn't allow me to put them together.)**

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**-Prologue- When You Leave Everything Behind.**

_For me…life has always been one big circle. Always the same routine each day…everyday…_

A young woman with black-brown hair slams her head onto her desk as her teacher sets into another lecture… 

_I was different from others. I didn't want the same thing every single moment. Even if I usually didn't look like it, I wanted excitement. Some kinda thrill…a rush of energy. I was bored of my so-called safe life…_

The same young woman is talking with her two friends in the cafeteria. One friend a red-head with long curly hair, the other with short black hair with pink highlights… 

_My family and I weren't very fond of each other either, I mean we could get along sometimes…but usually we found ourselves on VERY thin ice with the other…It was always constant fighting…_

A young woman of nearly the same age with dark blonde hair looked up from her notebook in a local park, asking the sky for inspiration for her newest work… 

_I kept telling myself, 'I want out!', but I could never muster up enough courage to do anything about it. I was so damn useless, both to myself and the world…_

A black-haired young boy of 13 years of age walked home under the night sky, a backpack on his back, stars were shining and shimmering here and there. 

_People didn't know my name, and my social position at places like school wasn't very good either. Everybody tends to stay away 'cause they think I'm antisocial. But that's not to say I couldn't have made friends…_

The boy stopped and let his eyes wander to a nearby pond. He shrugged after a bit of thought, and sat down to watch the water.

_Even though I might have had a good life compared to others, I didn't want what I had then. I wanted to have fun, but at the same time to be noticed and remembered and loved by others on my own adventure. Like a hero…_

The boy smiled at the stars before continuing his way home.

_I realize now that the things I wanted were selfish. I was always told by my parents to grow up, and I did, I really did. But what they didn't seem to know or understand was that I was more mature than I let on. Sometimes I proved to be more mature then they were._

As the young boy walked up to the front door of his house, he sighed and blew at a few bangs in front of his eyes, getting ready for the inevitable…

_They say "Be careful what you wish for, it may very well come back to haunt you…"_

_Heh…Don't I know it…_

_

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_

(creeeaaaak...)

Damn that's loud... carefully now... carefully...

(creak)

Gah... there's definitely something wrong with this gay-ass door!

(creak!)

Forget it!

(SLAM!)

I slammed the door open and immediately closed it not a second after. With my back against the wall my eyes shifted around before I relaxed at the empty environment.

Everything seemed safe... and it was dark, very, very dark. Maybe I got lucky this time and my parents are asleep. Stupid door can't keep quiet though, I need to oil it sometime… that is if we have any oil in the first place.

I shifted my eyes left and right, trying to find someone before I moved. I dared not to give myself away. They were always crazy about curfew.

Ha! If I could sneak past some cops then I could definitely sneak into my room with nobody noticing…

"HEEEEYYYY!!! MOOOOOM!!! DAAAAAD!!! I FOUND BIG-BRO SNEAKING IN AGAIN!!!"

…Me…

Dammit! Stupid Michael!

I glared at the 8 year-old snitch, and he just sneered and stuck his tongue out in return. I hated the fact that being a loudmouth came so naturally to him.

My parents were downstairs in a heartbeat. They were followed by my older sister not a second after. Double Dammit…

My dad picked my up by the collar of my shirt, "And just where the hell were you boy? I know for a fact that school was over a long time ago." I rolled my eyes, who doesn't know you stupid old man? It's 11 P.M. At night. When school was over at 2:15 in the AFTERNOON…

I gave Pops an annoyed glare, "I called earlier today to tell ya' that I was gonna be over at a friend's house for a school project." And I was. Stupid science class.

My dad put me down, rolling his eyes, "Oh, and why didn't I get this call?"

I was even more annoyed by what I was about to tell them, "I kept calling you AND mom, but you guys never pick up. I called home next and Michael answered the phone, didn't he tell you?"

Mom answered next, "No he didn't." She turned her calm gaze to Michael with a bit of annoyance, "Did he call Michael?" She knows that my little bro lies his ass most of the time. I love that she defends me when I need it.

Michael shrugged innocently, "Nope, I didn't even hear the phone ring once today. I think big-bro's just lying to cover his slip up."

My father glared at me, "Trying to pin the blame on your brother now son?"

I seethed. What the hell! One innocent look added with a lame excuse gets that little monster off the hook?

I grinned triumphantly despite that though, "No. I'm not. I put a message on the machine just in case he tried something like that. Go check!"

"Oh," Now my sister was joining in, "You had a message on the machine? I checked and all there was were messages left by the usual telemarketers, so I erased everything." She smiled, "Sorry." Triple Dammit…

My dad picked me up by my collar again, "Stop lying you little brat. I should beat you for lying your ass off like some con artist. Back in Vietnam liars got their tongues cut off for doing what you just did…" (_Me: He really did threaten me with that kinda stuff. Said it would "Instill good behavior into immature children") _While it IS true that I can lie my ass off like a con artist (a professional con artist!), I'm telling the truth NOW! Why don't you believe me when it matters?!

My mom intervened by grabbing my dad's arm, "Honey, stop it. If he did call us and call home then maybe he really did call. Don't punish him for not telling _you_ especially since you keep your phone off all hours of the day and I'm too busy with all my customers to even go near my phone." She said sternly.

What?! I waste precious moments of MY time when he doesn't even turn on his fucking phone?! Dammit! I missed seven bus rides home because of you old man!

Pops grimaced slightly but recovered quickly, "Sonia, if you let kids get away with things like this now, they'll always get away with it later in the future." I rolled my eyes again. I already get away with lying to him, no matter how many times he tries to outdo me. But when it really matters and I'm telling the truth, it's a lie he says. Ugh…

Dad turned his glare back to me, "You're grounded, no computer, no video games, no television. I'm throwing all of those out. Go!" I looked at his face, and I knew what he wanted me to say. He wanted me to say, 'Yes sir' and go up to my room like an obedient little lap dog. Every single fucking time…

I lost it…

"No…" I said quietly, "No… I won't." I snarled and exploded, "You expect me to listen to you like some quiet little dog, you STUPID OLD MAN!!! You think you talk down to me like I'm some stupid little kid with no future!" I laughed bitterly, "You're just mad because you expect me to be under your control, like those two empty puppets I call my brother and sister. Unlike them I have free will, and you wanna break me so you can turn me into your little marionette. You're an idiot!" I laughed again, "I'm not anything like you want me to be, and I know for a fact that I'm smarter and a lot more cunning then you could ever—" He cut me off there with a punch to my face. I spun around and slammed into the wall.

(It could've been worse, a Chuck Norris Roundhouse Kick-to-the-face was never very enjoyable…)

It didn't hurt so much, it was kinda numb, but not painful. Though I was probably too angry to care anyway. I looked up and saw that my dad was staring at his fist with shock.

"Wait…son I-"

It was too late as I ran out the door.

"Dear! Wait! Your father didn't mean it!" My mom cried out, but I was already full-speed ahead to nowhere. I was glaring at anything that was ahead of me, but I didn't cry. It was a physical impossibility for me to cry anymore.

I also don't have much stamina, which led me to sit down and stop behind a neighbor's house to catch my breath. 10 blocks wasn't half bad.

"So the old man finally decided to take it that far huh?" I sneered bitterly. "I'm just some stupid troublesome kid I'm sure he's happy to be rid of."

I looked up at the sky with a sigh, "Being the middle child SUCKS! What to do I do now though…"

I never would've have exploded like I did if it was just any regular day for me, so why now? What makes today so special that I would actually act on what I felt. Maybe I just had enough of them, maybe I just lost it in general. I don't know what to think anymore…

Gah… I better focus. I just ran away from home after all. You can't exactly go, 'I've decided to come back because I'm at a dead end. Please take me back.' In situations like this, you have to stay missing for at least a day or two or else it'll just mean more trouble. Not like I ever want to go back to that place anyway, I'll live out the rest of my life with all ties I have with them severed! And they'll stay severed!

But it then occurred to me that I had no prepared back-up plan for a stunt like this. Eh... I'll come up with something. It couldn't be that hard to make a new life could it?

For a while I just sat there, contemplating how live out the rest of my life.

"Well…" I mused, "I could go to an orphanage and sell myself off to another family. But there's the possibility that I would end up with an even worse family than before. I could steal some money and live the rest of my life in Las Vegas as a card dealer, suckering people for free cash. I've also been hearing stories that the hobo life ain't so bad…" It went on like that for a few minutes.

"A thief's life is exciting with all those books out there backin' the theory up. Hn…" I usually say 'Hn' when I'm too lazy to answer someone properly or if I'm thinking about something. Or if I'm too lazy to think about something properly. Anyways, if you ask me if your life story is exciting after telling me your ENTIRE life story, then all you'll get is a 'Hn…' in reply.

I looked up at the sky again, spotting a bright light I was familiar with. This one star was always especially bright on nights like these, when I get into arguments with my 'family'.

"Seems like you've been watching me for a while huh?" I never expected an answer. It was just nice to see that star still floating somewhere in space.

I sighed, "Y'know, its times like these I wish I was I had my way out of this life. I hate it, it's so dull, so much like the regular daily routine you would find in a factory, and I'm not too fond of my family either." 'Family'... That was a very bitter word to me. Some family I had… The only person I could actually call 'family' and not sneer or snort at is my mom. I honestly and whole-heartedly love her, but I don't think she loves me. When I look at her sometimes I can see fear in her eyes. That always confused me, why should you be afraid of your own kid?

"I want my own adventure, I wanna be a hero, beat down some super tyrant and save some world just for the thrill of it all." The star was getting brighter for some reason.

I looked down as I thought about my life so far, "I've had my good times, but I just can't stop thinking about all the crap Life throws at me. My family started hating me out of the blue, and it suddenly became hard to make any new friends. Nobody here ever really wants to walk up to me and talk, or even bother trying to get to know me. I'm always in the back, unseen and unnoticed by nearly everyone."

I smiled sadly, "I don't want to be forgotten, I want to be respected, loved and remembered by everybody. Dying without accomplishing anything with my life, or dying without anybody bothering to remember me… is a horrible way to end…" I looked up at the sky again. That same star was even brighter now.

I didn't know what I was saying anymore…

"Ah who am I kiddin', I'm just an idiot. There's no way I can aspire to be a great hero like Neo Kazama is. He could always handle anything…myself on the other hand, nothing." I said as my bangs hid my eyes.

Neo Kazama was someone that I made up when I was a little kid. He was my hero, one that I made myself when I didn't have anyone to look up to. Basically, he was everything I wasn't. While he was fit, I was scrawny. While he was brave, I was scared. While he could kick someone's butt into next month, I couldn't fight for crap. (Well… maybe for shit, but not for crap.)

While he was the Angel, I was the Demon.

As I grew up I kept trying to make myself in his image. I always thought 'What would Neo do?' and I still kinda do that. But sometimes I think about what I wanna do in a situation, especially after the incident a while ago… But I don't wanna think about that now…

I also made character designs for Neo too. Of course my kiddy drawings didn't really give me much to look at, but I made them better as time went by. As I got older I also added things and even people so that Neo wouldn't be by himself.

Oh yeah, that's another thing. While he has an unbreakable band of friends, I had virtually nobody at my side.

I sighed, bumming myself out like this ain't helping much, but at least I'm thinking. I looked up again and I noticed something weird.

"Hn… That's strange… that star seems like it's getting …" The star kept shining brighter and brighter and... bigger... Ah shit, my eyes widened.

"Holy crap!!! That star's gonna FALL on ME!!!" Shimatta! I couldn't move my body for some reason either!!! Is it the initial shock? Or did I run so much that I'm too exhausted to move?! Dammit! Move! MOVE!

With my self preservation adrenaline surging through my systems, I managed to pick myself up with as much strength as I could muster, which wasn't really much at the moment. I was wobbly, my movements weren't at all as precise and coordinated as it was when I ran away. I felt like I was just drunk and was experiencing the hangover, 'cause my head was pounding from straining myself too much.

I couldn't gain any speed, in my stupor I tripped and fell flat on my face. I flipped myself over and sat up to see what was about to come, the star was barreling at me like a rocket. I felt so betrayed…

I closed my eyes tightly, '_No! No! No! Not like this! I don't wanna it to end like this! Not now!!!'_

It was futile and I knew it, but I wished anyway, "I wish the shooting star wouldn't hit me."

I hung my head…

**BOOM!!!**

…everything went dark.

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Far throughout the rest of the earth, people reported feeling a strange shockwave. While the feeling only ever truly affected a few certain people, it still drew suspicion from many. Agencies who investigated the matter found the origin of shockwave in a local Virginia neighborhood. A large crater that seemed to be made by a meteorite was deep in the ground, and what was suspicious was that nothing was found. Government officials across the globe disregarded the feeling and the supposed alien crater, and so the public soon forgot all about it.

Only those few special people across the world never forgot. Two ladies in particular always remembered the feeling.

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**Me: I'm trying to find good places to introduce everyone, but we're all scattered all over the place, meeting at different points in the story. Don't flame me for not including them please. Sorry for the lack of Symphonia references in this 'Prologue'.**

**Next Chapter ----------Click to Flip----------}**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Neozangetsu doesn't own other authors, or their OCs, or special equipment that belongs to them. Nor does he own any of the 'Tales of' series except for this story. He also owns his own OCs (i.e Jenny, Kiyohime), and equipment, weapon ideas, etc.**

**Me: This Chapter will introduce everyone who is currently in the running with me. Dragoness-chan, Regina-sempai, and Niki-Hatake-chan along with Dragoness' friend Miyako.**

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**Chapter 1: When You Make A Life-Altering Choice, It'll Suck!**

…

… Ngh…

… fu… Damn…

… I hurt everywhere in my body. Stupid falling star, if you wanna crash into someone do it to someone I hate, not ME!!! Especially when I'm wishing on you…

It actually pained me a little to open my eyes, and my head hurt like—wait a minute…

I'm dead… how do I have eyelids or eyes? Or even a head for that matter? I'm pretty sure a falling star would kill me as well as blow me to bits. And my sweet, sweet head is still attached to my body, which isn't at all dismembered or blown into pieces. I touched my left arm, I still had skin… What kinda death is this?!

"Excuse me. Please wake up." Huh? Now I'm hearing things in death. I could hear someone calling me. Didn't sound like the Grim Reaper… too feminine…

"May you please wake up now? Your injuries should be gone for the most part." The voice sounds so gentle, calming, and cool…

Leave me alone damn you! I'm dead, so leave the dead to peace!

The person calling me sighed. I could feel someone position themself over me, getting a bit too close to my face for comfort. Whoever it was, I could feel their breath on my face.

Which reminds me… how do I still have my face? Aren't I supposed to be this floating ball of light that just flies around in the clouds? Actually, that's kinda ironic now that I think about it. Getting killed by a ball of light and turning into a ball of light…hehe…

Owie… my poor brain hurts! Too much thinking… This whole death-by-star thingy is really confusing the-

**WHAP!**

"ITAI! Dammit! OI! Who the hell did that?! When somebody dies you leave them to their fucking peace-" I stopped there as my anger and the shock of someone slapping me made me open my eyes. I was staring/glaring into the face of a woman… a very cute woman… who was on top of ME……….Hn…

"Holy crap…" I slowly backed out from under her with a small blush, and I don't EVER blush unless I'm embarrassed. Most guys would beg to have a woman on top of them staring into their face…

But I wasn't most guys. A closet pervert maybe, but I still wanna take the time to know a lady. That, and I had a traumatic event with a girl once…

The woman in front of me looked at me with something akin to relief, "Ah, so you are finally awake. I believed that you would never wake up. You were mumbling rather odd things about 'death' and something called the 'Grim Reaper' in your unresponsive state for some reason." She stood back up on her feet.

I regained my calm, and grew into suspicious, cautious and apprehensive mode, "Yeah, people tend to do that when a star crashes into them." I stated flatly.

The woman looked away in slight embarrassment and seemed ashamed of herself, "I… apologize for that. Does your body still hurt anywhere?"

My right eye twitched, so she's the culprit huh? "Kinda!" I said irritably.

She bowed in apology, her tone of voice in slight monotone, "My sincerest apologies. I did not expect for the Faux-Star Storage Unit to malfunction in such a way and crash into you. I must rebuild and reprogram the unit so that the same thing will not repeat itself a second time."

I closed my eyes and sighed as I got up as well, "As long as the damage to my body isn't long term it's fine, don't worry about it."

I could tell that she was relieved I wasn't too peeved about the incident, I knew, even with my eyes closed, that a small smile had taken its place on her lips, "Thank you, and once again, I apologize for the trouble ."

I opened my eyes again. Might as well get a full profile of who the culprit is, I need to get a picture in my head if I ever decide to sue.

(O_o) I was shocked at who was in front of me, but I don't EVER show my shock outwardly. So, let's just say my jaw dropped on the inside. While all other parts of my body shut down, my brain continued to process the sight in front of me.

It was too dark to see her before, but now she looked absolutely radiant. She was pretty darn cute, I hafta give her that. She had long flowing mint green hair that went down to her thighs, and deep green eyes that I could see were the windows to her emotions. She was one of those girls who had a good figure, not to large anywhere but not too thin or flat _(Me: I hope no woman or girl reader finds this description offensive or anything)_. Her skin was damn near perfect, no blemishes or bruises, and she wasn't too tan or too pail. She wore a small pair of glasses in front of her eyes, and a blouse/jacket that was a grassy or emerald green with a thick black lining. Her pants and/or leggings were skintight and the same mint green color as her hair, and slippers on her feet that was the same emerald color green as her jacket. A strange fashion accessory on her was the two leaves at the sides of her head. _(Me: She's like Goddess Martel. Information and picture link are available on my profile.)_

Wow… It's amazing how she's the near spitting image of the Goddess Martel _(Me: Which I just said_.), all ya' hafta do is get rid of the glasses and add the leafy staff.

I had to ask her name, just to compare, "So, before I start asking any other questions, can I get a name from you first?"

She gave a small nod, "I see no problem with introductions. My name is Mana, I am the one who brought you here." Holy crap… the unshakable calmness, gentle voice and calming eyes… she's EXACTLY like Martel.

She tilted her head slightly in confusion as we continued to stare at each other, "Even if you do not show it outwardly, you are shocked by my appearance. Is there something wrong with the way I look? You seem to recognize me from something."

I coughed uncomfortably and looked away. I just remembered 'Idiot Rule #1; It wasn't polite to stare', "Oh…um, yeah… sorry 'bout that. You just look A LOT like someone from a video game of mine."

She closed her eyes in thought, and opened them again after a few seconds, "Yes, it seems that I had forgotten for a moment. Yeah mean to say I look like The Goddess Martel, correct?" I nodded. "There is a reason for that, but please forgive me. I do not wish to divulge my personal information yet. It is rather… uncomfortable to speak of." She explained.

"If you don't feel comfortable about the subject, let's just move on to the next one." I shrugged, "It's your secret, I just wanna know why I'm here."

Mana raised an eyebrow, "Are you not going to say that I had brought you here against your will? You show very few signs of protest, proper responses to a situation such as this would be to demand to be returned or to released."

I frowned and furrowed my brow, "Nah, before your stupid star got to me, I was wishing that I had nothing else to do with the life I left back home. I think I got what I wished for, and you gave me just that, even if it may be for a little while. I don't think I can really say it counts as kidnapping if I wanted it."

Mana looked really confused, and maybe even a bit sad, "The people that you ran away from were your family correct? Why are you not sad? Families are supposed to be very loving and close are they not?" She asked.

I laughed and that surprised her, "My family wasn't to me. Unless you call a punch to the face 'loving', we have two VERY different definitions of the word." I said bitterly.

She dropped the subject, probably 'cause she knew that she was treading on rather dangerous territory.

She turned around and waved her hand at a wall completely made of technological crap, opening it. "You wish to know everything about the current situation correct? Please follow me and I shall explain everything."

When we were talking, I had a subtle look around. My surroundings were full of things that made it look like a hi-tech military base no matter how many angles you looked at it in. So I wasn't really surprised by the opening wall. I'm actually not surprised by anything anymore.

"Excuse me again, I would like to inquire one more thing before we leave." Mana said as she stopped.

"Yeah?"

She she turned to me, complete confusion marring her gentle features, "You have been very cooperative in this situation, it… confuses me. Why do you trust me to lead you around in this completely unfamiliar territory?"

I put my hands behind my head and sighed, "I dunno, maybe it's just my instincts or somethin'. You've pretty nice to me, despite the rather abusive tactics you used to get me before." Mana had the decency to look SLIGHTLY embarrassed, "You don't exactly look or feel evil either, but that doesn't mean I'm not suspicious. I don't trust you completely, but I at least want to know what's going on."

My eyes hardened, "And to tell you the truth, I'm not sure who I can trust anymore."

* * *

Anyways, I followed Mana. I didn't want to get lost in this kinda place. I'm no Ryoga Hibiki, but anybody could get lost in here.

The walk was boring, there were no windows, so I couldn't see if Mana concocted any hideous experiments or anything. All that I had to listen to were the blips and beeps of the machinery around me. I was so bored in fact, I didn't notice when Mana stopped, so I bumped into her.

She just blissfully ignored that though, it seems her attitude was the exact opposite of mine. She practically reveled in the beeps and the smooth metal around her. Heh… must be a mad scientist of some sort…

"We are here." She spoke softly as she waved her hand again. The wall in front of us opened like the one before did. And it revealed a large lab with a giant computer and gadget stuff everywhere on the walls. Mana grabbed my hand and dragged me to her computer. Then proceeded to gently seat herself into her chair. It was a big comfortable chair.

Man… I wanna sit down now…

She smiled slightly as she spun around in the large chair to face the computer, "Welcome. This is the heart of my base, the lab in which I construct and experiment in. The technology in this room was made by me, and is constantly being upgraded and improved upon day after day. It is the most technologically enhanced location in the universe." She explained with a bit of pride in her monotone voice.

"I can see that." I said flatly. This stuff makes the technology on earth a 100+ years obsolete. I'm not kidding. Probably another ironic observation. Mana has leaves in her hair and that nature lover look (which could have people mistake her for a hippie), but she's a techno-geek first and foremost.

"I will explain the current situation so far, as you told me that you had questions to ask. To begin, I must state now that this place is nowhere near Earth of your Solar System. We are in another universe and there are in fact many other worlds and universes besides your own." She began typing into her keyboard, bringing up various places that I thought would only exist in games or T.V.

"The Netherworld or Worlds as it is, Heaven, Alternate Earth 1, Alternate Earth 2, Alternate Earth 3…" I stopped her before she could start rambling.

I scratched the back of my head, "As much as I would like to hear you drone on, why don't just tell me how many Alternate Earths are there out there without going into much detail."

She looked slightly annoyed, "Very well, there are a recorded 356 or more Alternate Earths total that do not include yours, and more are still being discovered still. I must also say that you were quite rude to interrupt me like that."

I chuckled and hung my head, "If you continued to keep naming them one by one the day would be over…"

She turned her head back to the computer screen and sighed, "To get straight to the point, I must tell you that the worlds you thought were fantasy and fiction do exist. I do not know how your people managed to discover them and turn them into a monopoly, but they are very real and alive. This includes…" She typed on her keyboard and brought up two planets, one drying up and dying, the other lush and prospering, "…the two worlds you seem to be very familiar with, Sylvarant and Tethe'alla."

I looked at the screen with interest, "So they're real huh?" I asked rhetorically.

Mana nodded, "Yes, as real as you and I." How did I know she was real and not some hospital induced dream? Oh no, wait, nevermind. She slapped me awake… ow…

"And you're showing me these two places in particular because…" I think I knew what she was going to tell me…

She stood up from her seat and turned to me, completely serious, "It is because these two planets in particular need help. Your help."

She emphasized the 'Your'. Oh boy…

I almost laughed at the thought. Sure I wanted to be a hero, but if it's anything like the game, shouldn't the protagonists be able to handle this on their own?

I chuckled a bit, "Yeah right. I've played the game, it's actually one of my favorites too. And I'm pretty sure that Lloyd, Colette and the others can handle the problem without some stupid little kid in their way."

Mana looked slightly sad, "I believe that you amount to more than just an ignorant child. But you will not be on your own either, others from your Earth will assist as well."

I shrugged, "So? It seems to me that even if I go in there, you'll already have a couple others to take my place. It doesn't really SEEM like you need my help if you already have other people to do the job."

Mana sounded more urgent this time, "They will not be sufficient to save the two worlds. They need YOUR help if they are ever to survive. You may not know it, but you are very crucial to the journey, it would very well fail if you do not help."

I sighed, isn't that notion a little much? I know I wanted to be a hero, to have my own adventures and beat a super tyrant. But if she has other people, wouldn't they be enough? What's one stupid kid missing from a small group of (probably) battle-ready insertions to a mission where 2 worlds were on the line. I just didn't want to be useless in this journey. I didn't want to be useless like I was back home…

I sighed, "I'm just one kid. I know that the Chosen's Group can stop that super-tyrant themselves. And if others are there to help, then there should be absolutely no problems that need my help, right?"

Mana narrowed her eyes at me, her hands trembling, "Why…?" She muttered.

It wasn't long before she was all out glaring now, "Why do continue to deny this offer?! Is it not what you wanted? To be relieved of the boredom you left behind, to be a 'hero'? Are you just going to doom two worlds because this isn't the type of journey you wanted?! Or because you believe you won't receive the praise or glory you crave after everything is finished?! Are you really so idiotic?!" Her voice was raised in anger.

Something in me snapped again, and I glared right back at her hatefully, "You don't seem to understand do you? Yeah, I'm selfish 'cause I want glory, recognition, stuff like that. But I also want to help others who can't help themselves when the situation calls for it. Do you know how horrible I felt back at home, because I couldn't do anything without getting yelled at for it? Do you know how useless I felt every single frickin' day of my life because I couldn't pick myself up enough to do something that could help? There are some days, where I thought that if I died, the world I lived on would be better off without some useless husk of meat getting in its way, using up valuable resources, just taking up space in general. Others had it worse than me, I know that for a fact! My life was pretty good in retrospect, but despite that, the empty feeling I had inside just felt… so unreal, so inhuman, so horrible… I wanted it to be gone and never come back. I know for sure that Lloyd Irving and his party can finish the journey, that they can save the worlds and destroy Yggdrasil…"

I sighed shakily as I held my head from one particular memory, "I felt that pain for such a long time, I don't want to feel that uselessness again… never again…"

I was feeling really bad now. Was the situation really so horrible? I thought about it, Sylvarant and Tethe'alla really needed me? That one question still lingered in my head, 'What's one kid to a whole group or army of others who could already take his place?'

I shook my head, "Mana, I'm sorry. I guess I really am an idiot for acting like I am. So much is just happening so fast, but I don't have any reason to take my emotions out on you." I apologized.

"No, if anything I should be the one to apologize." Mana spoke somberly, "I… was out of line with what I said. I did not understand how you would feel about this matter. It is a… life changing decision is it not? I was just… angry at the fact that you would refuse the offer with two worlds at stake. I did not give you any warning before I 'dropped the bomb' so to speak." She looked down in slight shame, "I apologize, please forgive my actions." She said again.

Hn… I sighed, Mana was nice to me the very short time I was here (despite what happened earlier). A bit abusive (I took a star, and a slap to the face from her), but nice. Well, a lot nicer than anyone else has in a long time. She seems very kindhearted and gentle on the inside and out, only wanting what's best. Although gentle, she sounds as if she has very little if any emotions, like a robot. Damn… stupid weakness to kind (and cute) girls…

I'm still a little angry at her, but I guess I was acting like an indecisive brat.

'_What would Neo do?' _I thought to myself, but even then my choice wasn't ruled by that. She showed me kindness (or some form of it), and it didn't matter right now if Neo would do it or not.

I'll try… for her.

"Okay fine…" I said quietly, "I'll help out if you really need me that badly. I'm really am sorry about acting the way I did, this is all just one big shock." I smiled nervously. "Don't apologize for something like this, let's just forget it and move on."

Mana looked up with a smile. An honest to goodness happy smile. I felt a little better now.

"If you really wanted to ask for my help and get me to accept no questions asked, you should've tried the puppy dog look. I'm a real sucker for a pretty face!" I laughed to lighten the mood. It was kinda true, unless you had a horrible personality. I'll know people… I'll know…

I was surprised to feel Mana hugging me (I just met her too…). I felt a little awkward, if the small tinge of red on my face was anything to go by.

I'm not used to human contact, let alone female contact. It's a side effect of being an isolated outcast and having no loving contact from my family for years.

"Erm… Mana, any particular reason you're hugging me?" I asked quietly. I wasn't used to getting hugged…

She looked down at me (she was taller than me, as I was only 5 feet 3 inches) and smiled, "This is an expression of happiness is it not? I am happy that you accepted the offer and that you have forgiven me."

Apparently you don't know it's also a gesture of affection, Mana. I felt slightly uncomfortable in the hug, but I just stood their to let her get it out of her system. Did I really forgive her for yelling at me like she did? …Yeah. Damn, I'm so darn soft.

(insert sigh here) "Well, you said that you needed my help, right? Tell me what I hafta do now, Mana."

We broke the hug and she grabbed my hand, "Come with me into the next room." She proceeded to drag me to wherever the heck she was dragging me.

I rolled my eyes with a small smile, '_Do I have a choice?'_

As soon as we made it to another movable wall (or at least I thought it was), Mana waved her hand again, though nothing happened. She waved her hand once more. Again nothing happened. I gave Mana a side-glance and could see her eye twitching… a lot. Hn… Maybe she has the wrong wall…

She turned to me and bowed politely, her face showed a smile but she was radiating an aura below zero… "Please excuse me for a moment while I take care of this minor maintenance problem." She said in monotone as she walked to the door.

Mana began examining every inch of the door meticulously, after a few minutes she reared her fist back and slammed it into the wall making a large dent.

(O_O) Oh my GOD! She didn't even look hurt as she gave a kick. The whole situation soon escalated into the virtual abuse of the wall.

I… well… I didn't really know what to do or say at this moment. So I opted for the 'Back-away-and-hide-in-the-corner' routine.

I was almost there… but Mana managed a tight grip on my arm before I could make it that far.

**WOOSH!**

………She threw me at the door…

…Well, it's been nice…

**BAM!**

"Itetetete…"

Ow… I hurt everywhere again. I gotta say that she has quite the arm and the strength to match it. Damn emotionless lady. At least the attempt didn't end in vain, the wall opened up.

"I apologize! I apologize! I did not see you behind me as I was fixing the door! Are you alright? Are you hurt?" She asked in concern.

My right eye twitched… Am I THAT unnoticeable? Or did the supposed uncontrolled rage just cloud up her vision? How is beating the living crap out of a door 'fixing it'? Ugh… women…

"I'm fine." I reassured with gritted teeth, "The wall's open. Now if you wouldn't mind, could you drag my body to whatever you wanted to show me? I can't stand right now."

Mana looked embarrassed and ashamed as she grabbed my broken body and dragged me through the passage way. Good thing this floor is all smooth metal.

It wasn't all too long. Only a few minutes at the least. Mana helped me up so I could get a good look at what I was dealing with.

In all bluntness, the thing in front of me looked like a steel coffin (it wasn't on the floor, it stood upright in the air for some reason). It was hooked up with all these wires that were all coming from some terminal near the coffin. I don't know why, but there was this weird doll thingy inside the coffin. It looked like the Bankai cutout thingy from Bleach (_Me: I don't own_).

My descriptions are so simple aren't they? Thingy…heh…

"Mm-hm." I hummed, "What exactly am I looking at this very moment?"

After finishing the quick once-over on her precious machine, she replied, "This? It is a creation I named the 'Soul Saver'. As the name implies, it is capable of holding a soul and putting it in stasis until a use can be made from it, such as transfer into a weapon, or another body. The doll inside the Soul Saver is known as the 'Body Prop'. It is made up of all the elements and components that make up the normal human body. The Body Prop will transform as energy is transferred into it. The shape, texture, and overall look of the new body from the Body Prop may depend on the soul inside the Soul Saver."

I just barely understood it all, "Hn…" Big surprise huh?

"So what are you gonna do with it?" I just barely understood the explanation, so I didn't have enough effort in me to figure out what she was trying to do.

She looked at me with complete seriousness, "I am going to give you a new body."

Whoa… that was ACTUALLY a big shock to me.

"What?! Is that even possible?! Let alone ethical in any way?! A new body?!" I was beginning to lose my cool.

The green-haired techno-whiz looked away, "To tell you the truth, I… have not been completely honest with you so far (No shit Sherlock!). As soon as your body was delivered and had recovered I had begun the process of aging and augmenting it." Mana confessed.

"…WHAT?!" I may like Master Chief, but I don't wanna be a Spartan Project!

"I am sorry, I truly am. But right now, as you are, your body would not be able to handle the stress of the journey set for you." She continued, "On the worlds of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, when a person is born, their bodies begin adapting to the mana around them. Half-Elves such as Genis Sage and people like Presea are much stronger than any normal child on your earth. But that is due to the fact that their bodies have conditioned to the mana energy over time. At least long enough to tolerate it and use it for self defense. If I were to send you there now, you would be unable to mold the mana correctly because it is the first time your body would come in contact with the foreign energies." She pulled a human diagram outta nowhere, "Your body will refuse to take in the mana and be poisoned by it. If you were to receive something like an exsphere now… you would very well die... Your body cannot take an enhancement from a concentrated amount of mana." She stated quietly.

Mana pointed to the Soul Saver, "I have equipped this machine with mana blasters to help your new body accustom itself to mana, and I have set the Soul Saver to adjust the body so that your soul will be able to enter at the same time the process is at its climax. Another thing I must inform you of now is that you will be older, most people tend to trust adults more than children when it comes to protecting the Chosen."

I looked at the Body Board cutout inside the metal coffin incredulously, "So how will I inhabit a cardboard cutout?" I asked.

She smiled slightly, "Were you not listening? The material that makes up the Body Prop will shift and transform as I add the foreign energy into it. Normally, to transform a Body Prop, you would only truly need electricity, but the mana used as a substitute will allow you to survive on the worlds as well as mold the energy to fit your needs. Abilities such as artes would be usable without an exsphere."

Oh yeah, stupid complicated explanations…but then, something just occurred to me…

"Um… Mana, how're you gonna get my soul in there? Won't I have to be--"

"Dead." She finished grimly, "You will have to die to transfer your soul in the Soul Saver. I cannot make it painless, as I never had anytime to prepare a second Soul Saver. "

…Die…? I didn't even do anything and now I have to die? Heh… I knew it. I friggin' knew it. There's always a catch ain't there? Dammit…

"This is what you may know as the 'Moment of Truth'." She pulled out an elegant knife, it was all shiny and detailed to perfection. Curvy too! …Damn, my fascination with swords or any other bladed weapon is getting to me!

Mana looked away as she held out the knife, "I am sorry. I did not want it to come to this, but we have no choice as of now. This knife is known as the 'Knife of Contract', it belonged to a man you may know as Abraham. He was to use it to kill his only son to prove his love and loyalty to his God. I believe you are familiar with the story, yes? This knife will be used as the vessel for your soul for the transfer where I will put it into your new body."

I took the ancient relic silently; Abraham held this very knife huh?

Mana smiled slightly in the darkness, "If you want to… you may go back now. I have been contemplating the entire situation for quite some time now. You do not have to do this if you do not want to." She said quietly, "My superior made it very clear that I had to persuade you to agree by any means necessary, force was one method. I… I do not want you to do this without making your own choice on the matter. The worlds of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla may be lost without you, but… I want you to choose what you want to do." She smiled fondly at me, "I am sorry I tried to force you into a situation such as this. I can see now, in person, that you are just a young man who is overwhelmed by his life and thoughts, this mission I was to push on you does not help matters. I… have been watching you a little while before, and even if I did not talk to you or interact with you until now, I was able to know you, even if it was just a small fraction. I was reprimanded for my actions, I was never supposed to make any emotional attachment or even allow my feelings on this matter stop me from doing what I am to do, but I do not at all regret it."

She held my hand with both of hers, "I do not know your name, I did not see what it was like with you and your family, I only saw what you wanted others to see in you. I know you are a good person, and a very unique individual compared to other beings of your earth. My superior found something special about you, and I now see as well."

Mana…

"I want you to decide. I am willing to put you back in your old life if you refuse. Everything will proceed as if nothing happened, as if I had never tried to take you. Your fate is not to be decided by someone else, this choice is yours and yours alone." She smiled.

She's been watching me huh? She's just… just wow. I don't think it's just some elaborate act, I can see it in her eyes. It's genuine. I can't believe that this once, just this once, I've fallen for some kinda sappy speech.

But it was a genuine sappy speech…

Did I really want to go back there with my old family? Hell no!

Would I die just to help this one person, maybe others, save 2 worlds in peril…?

Yeah…yeah I would… crazy as it may sound.

I dunno how she managed it, but Mana managed to worm her way into my heart, even if it was just the tiniest bit.

I wasn't happy back home, it didn't fit what I wanted…

Maybe these 2 new worlds would be my second chance… just maybe…

I said I wanted to be a hero, saving Sylvarant and Tethe'alla could fulfill that drive, with interest.

I smiled as I held up the Knife of Contract, "Thank you for your concern, Mana. I know what I want now. Your words mean a lot more to me than you'll ever know." I shakily held the knife over my heart ready to plunge.

But Mana stopped me by grabbing my hand, what else was there to say now?

"Before you are to go through with this, may you tell me your name?" She asked with a sad smile.

…

Heh… hehe… hahahahahahahahaha!. I held in my laughter as it occurred to me that I never bothered to introduce myself the entire time. She even said she didn't know my name. Man, how could I be so stupid?! How could I be such an idiot?!

... 'Cause that's the idiot I am and always will be …

I grinned, "I'm sorry. In all this chaos I never introduced myself to my host. Nice to meetcha, my name is… Maxwell…" What would my last name be? Would I really keep the name of the family I left behind? Or make a new name for myself? I thought about Neo for a second;

It only took a second.

"… Maxwell Kazama!"

**Shink!**

I stabbed myself with the knife, directly at the area where my heart was. Everything was getting dark, I could barely stand upright on my feet. But I held the knife there anyway, and fell to my knees. My hands were trembling, it wasn't long before they went limp and my eyes lost their light.

'_Heh… in all truth and honesty, this is probably the most idiotic thing I've ever done, yet for some strange reason… I don't have anything to regret.'_

I felt someone catch me, before I could hit the floor. A bit of blood made its way out the corner of my mouth as I smiled and closed my eyes.

'_Heh… before all of this, I was crying like a baby over having my life end by a star. Now, at the present, maybe a day or even a couple hours after that, I don't care if I die. Being taken to this place brought back too many memories. All of the emotions that I shut off a while ago are suddenly coming back to me as soon as I interacted with this strange woman. I'm tired, but I'm happy. The world's getting colder, but I feel a strange burning inside me. I thank you for your kindness, Mana, I haven't felt so warm in such a long time. I don't care if this fails, maybe in death... I'll finally have my peace...'_

I was content. My smile wasn't so bitter anymore. I felt a strange feeling wash over me as my thoughts stopped.

* * *

-3rd Person POV-

Mana smiled bitterly as she pulled the knife out of Max's heart (_Me: I don't like referring to myself as my full name, so _Maxwell _will be referred to as _Max). He looked so content with death, so peaceful…

"Maxwell Kazama…?"The name seemed to roll of her tongue, "What a nice name."

The green-haired woman took Max's body to a casket she moved into the room earlier. After muttering a quick prayer, she set to work on the Soul Saver.

'_I will NOT let your death be in vain Maxwell.'_

She set to work, checking every function so that it didn't backfire during the process. She couldn't fail now. It wasn't just for her superior, it was for Max.

"Age of the body is set, the mana blasters are also set and ready, Soul Saver is sealed completely, lack of any cracks or cuts. Body Prop is fine, no tears or bends found during scan." She began typing into the terminal at a very quick pace.

Time was of the essence, it was time to begin!

"Proceeding with process 8-2-2-7-5-6-3, codename 'Phoenix'." She pressed the 'Start' button, "…Begin!"

The mana blasters began letting out rainbow mana energy at a relatively slow pace, just to start the process without any mishaps. The mana flowed into the Soul Saver and it all collected into the Body Prop, which began to glow slightly. The stabilization process only took a few seconds.

Mana nodded, "The Body Prop is stabilizing and adjusting to the mana. Addition of more mana into the Saver is needed." She turned a dial on the terminal typed a bit more, and the mana blasters began pumping more energy into the Soul Saver at a faster rate. It was fast, but it wasn't too fast, but it wasn't too slow a flow either. The Body Prop was glowing even more, into a more noticeable shine. If anyone else were there, it would be like a lamp shining into their face. Mana took out a pair of anti-shine goggles and put them over her eyes. It now took at least 5 to 10 minutes to stabilize. The Body Prop began twitching and moving slightly.

The green haired techno-sorceress/witch smiled, "Process is near complete. Increasing mana input." The turned the dial all the way and one hand worked furiously on the terminal, the mana blasters were now letting mana out at an incredibly quick rate. The Body Prop was now shining like the Sun because it was so bright. Due to the large amount of mana it took a full hour to stabilize. (Dunno why it jumped from 10 minutes to an hour, its mana.) The Body Prop began to twist around and shift as the mana began to transform it.

Mana was nodded firmly, "Process near completion, last step of the process will begin now." She took out the Knife of Contract from her person and looked at it with a mix of sadness and happiness. Maxwell's blood still coats the blade, she thought to herself bitterly. Mana slowly walked up to the Soul Saver and opened a secret hatch on the door (which was the part that's in the front), which revealed a small slot.

"Soul Transfer now." She put the blade of the knife into the slot and quickly ran to the terminal. She sighed in relief as the terminal showed that everything was stable.

**BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP!**

The peace didn't last

The terminal soon began beeping rapidly in alarm and the lights turned red as sirens throughout the lab blared.

"No…" Mana whispered, the terminal read, 'Status of Soul Saver is Critical'.

She immediately set to work again, and typed things into the terminal even faster than she did before. Mana was frantic and near panicking as she tried to restabilize the Soul Saver once again. But the situation was getting more and more futile as the moments passed.

"No!" Mana cried in anguish. The terminal now read 'Soul Saver: OVERLOAD'

**BOOM!**

The Soul Saver blew itself up, and a large mana pulse flew itself outward, going through the walls and into the outer reaches of the universe.

Mana felt the pulse, it was warm, but she still felt a shiver run down her spine.

'_What could this mean?' _She thought with wide eyes.

* * *

-On Derris Kharlan-

A blonde with long hair and a white spandex suit held onto a large purple sword with boredom evident in his eyes. He had pointy ears, meaning he was elf or half-elf.

He was half-elf.

"Damn, I'm going to be bored with you gone Kratos. I won't have anything to do except wait for that Chosen girl." The tyrant known as Mithos Yggdrasil groaned.

Of course, he was referring to the man wearing the purple outfit with the swallowtail cape. He had spiky auburn hair and wine colored eyes that were steely cold, serious, and sometimes a little warm (depends on who you are though). This was the so-called pinnacle of men, the object of fangirlism all across the world…

… Kratos Aurion.

"Mithos, during our journey, I was very sure I instilled patience in you." The purple wearing incognito mercenary said sternly.

"That patience was gone the moment you were about to leave." Mithos huffed.

"Mithos, you were the one who ordered me to go down there and make sure the journey does not fail." Kratos sighed.

"Yes, but why do you have to leave now?"

"I must build up a reputation as a Mercenary if they are to believe my alibi."

"… Fine. But you are not going to let ANY members of your family watch me. Sakura _(Me: Seem familiar?)_ scares me." The tyrant whimpered.

Kratos sighed again, "Very well. By your leave 'Lord Yggdrasil'." He said.

That was when they felt it. The powerful pulse of mana. It washed over them like a wave of the sea. But they had differing reactions.

To Mithos, it was cold. The shiver that went down his spine was not a pleasant one. An frightening image flashed in his mind, the face of a demon.

To Kratos, it was slightly warm, but it didn't make him shiver like Mithos. The feeling gave him a sort of warning for the future. Kratos narrowed his eyes as the strange feeling worked through his system

"Kratos…" Mithos breathed slowly as his eyes narrowed dangerously, "What the hell was that?"

Kratos shook his head, "I... don't know. But I know for sure it means something."

* * *

-In Sylvarant, The Town of Iselia-

"Come on, Lloyd! You're going to be late, AGAIN!"

A young man clad in a red outfit ran as fast as he could. He had brown hair that spiked upwards and wine-colored eyes. He had two wooden swords strapped to each of his sides. A bandage was wrapped around something on the back of his left hand.

"Geez, stop yelling Genis. I'm here. I'm here." Lloyd groaned to his short friend.

Genis Sage was a short fellow. He had spiky silver hair and ice blue eyes. He wore a strange light blue outfit. He carried the air of someone who knew his stuff (he's smart).

Genis crossed his short arms and gave a critical look at his friend, "Yeah, but if you were any later or slower you would've been late and we could've got in trouble with Raine!"

Lloyd winced, remembering his teacher's punishments, "Professor Sage is ruthless…"

"Hey Lloyd, Genis!"

Both boys looked over to see a girl running up to them… until she tripped.

On nothing but air.

Lloyd and Genis groaned before running over to help her up, "Colette, you're so clumsy." Lloyd said in exasperation.

Colette looked up with a smile, "I'm sorry."

Colette Brunel was best friends with Genis and Lloyd. She had long blonde hair and she had blue eyes as well. She wore a white outfit with blue lining, and covering her was an aura of peace that just made you like her.

Lloyd smiled back, "Stop apologizing, it's not your fault okay?"

The sunny blonde smiled back, "Okay."

Genis joined the smile palooza, "Come on, we better hurry before we-"

"LLOYD IRVING!!! GENIS SAGE!!!" A voice yelled out in anger.

"-get in trouble for being late." Genis finished lamely.

"I'm sorry." Colette apologized.

"Stop apologizing!" Lloyd laughed.

Then they felt it, that burst of energy. The trio stopped in their tracks as the mana washed over them, for some reason, filling them with warmth. It told them, without anything said, that the future would be bright.

All three children shivered, "Whoa… Did you two feel that just now?" Lloyd asked.

"Yeah…" Genis confirmed, "It felt weird, really, really weird!"

"It gave me a nice, happy feeling." Colette smiled, "It told me that everything would be okay in the future."

They stood there for a few seconds, wondering what the feeling earlier was about.

"Well, in any case, we can't just stand here and think about it. We have to hurry before Raine gets even angrier with us." Genis said.

"Yeah," Lloyd agreed nodding his head, "Let's go."

They all ran to the schoolhouse as quick as they could, little did they know, their teacher felt the pulse too.

'_What could it be?' _Raine thought to herself as she slowly sat at her desk in the front of the classroom.

* * *

-In Tethe'alla, The City of Meltokio-

**SLAP!**

It resounded out through the city, and to the people, it just meant an everyday occurrence; The Chosen of Mana was hitting on the Kunoichi of Mizuho once again.

"Awww… C'mon my dear hunny, it was just a light pinch! You know you liked it!" Said a man, he sounded as if he did it before.

"Stupid, perverted CHOSEN!!! (Whap) (Kick) (Punch)" A lady came next, she also sounded as if she did it before. The painful maiming I mean.

This was of course the usual greeting or end of greeting for Zelos Wilder and Sheena Fujibayashi.

Zelos Wilder was the Chosen of Mana for Tethe'alla. He had long red hair held up with a white headband and blue eyes. His outfit was fancy, the colors were a mix of black, pink, and white. And at his side was a stiletto.

Pink?! Can you believe it?! Friggin' pink! You'd think they'd say something about his sexuality, but he's only into girls. Or is he…? _(Me: No offence to Zelos Fans everywhere, but Pink just says something to me. Eh, you know what they say, 'Only "tough guys" wear pink')_

The lady beating him into next week was foreign to the city, Sheena Fujibayashi from the Hidden Village of Mizuho. She had black hair tied up into a pineapple-like ponytail, and light brown eyes. She was a fighter (evidence being the beatdown) so she was fit, but she was shapely too with a very… um… nice bust size. She wore a purple battle kimono with the sleeves separate from the shoulders, and a black skintight suit underneath. Around her waist was a pink obi _(Me: PINK!)_ keeping her outfit together and in place.

She was eye candy to most guys, especially Zelos. You can guess what happened to make her beat the man up.

Zelos moaned in agony as Sheena slammed her foot into his back for good measure, "Sheena my special hunny, Why?! I was just appreciating your beauty!!!"

She stepped on his head next.

"Pinching my butt is anything but 'appreciating my beauty' you pervert! You're just lucky I don't call out a Guardian!" Sheena growled as she grinded his head into the ground.

Fancy Rich Women at the sidelines were weeping as their object of affection was being destroyed.

Then it came, the outward pulse of mana blasted through the city. Sheena and Zelos both froze (for Zelos, to stop struggling) as the mana worked through them. They felt warmth, and comforting. They both shivered at the same time.

"Whoa!" She felt a little woozy as she stepped off of the Chosen's head, "Did you feel that just now Zelos?"

Zelos just got up and looked as if he wasn't just beaten up, "Yeah I did. It was really warm inside of me, I feel like I felt it before." He began pondering.

"I must be getting horny!!!" The red-head grinned.

Sheena grew an angry tick mark,

"STUPID CHOSEN!!!" She proceeded to continue beating him up.

Again, unaware to them, a certain soon-to-be-friend convict also felt the pulse in his cell.

'_What would this feeling be trying to tell me?' _Regal thought to himself as he rubbed his chin in thought. It should be hard to do with his hands shackled together as they were.

* * *

-Another Part of Tethe'alla, Village of Ozette-

**Chop!**

Another block of wood was split in two as a young girl continued to systematically chop up all the wood to finish the day's work. It was like she was a robot, her movements were stiff and precise.

In the small village she was an outcast, feared and not understood by anyone other than herself (and those that experimented on her). She was Presea Combatir.

Young Presea had pink hair, pulled up into two spiky pig-tails at the side of her head. Her eyes were ice blue. They were dull, emotionless, and showed nothing to those who wouldn't look close enough. Her outfit looked like a blouse fused with a long skirt, and it was a very dark purple color with black lining. The sleeves of her apparel were separate from the outfit itself, and they were a light lavender with metal plating at the back of her hands and her knuckles. She carried a large and heavy axe with no strain or even effort, it spoke volumes about her strength.

Her dull blue eyes looked at the sky and saw that it was a mix of red and orange, signaling a sunset. The day was over.

Presea blinked, "The day is over, quota has been reached and exceeded. 5 percent improvement from yesterday's speed and efficiency." She spoke in monotone.

As she began to walk into her house for the night, the mana pulse washed over Ozette. The feeling that the pulse gave to others before her filled her with warmth and comforting. Her eyes returned from their dull shade ever so slightly as she let the feeling work through her system.

'_Strange…' _She thought. For some weird reason or another, she felt the muscles in her face move and shift into a slight smile as she continued into her house.

The small shine in her eyes didn't leave for the rest of the night.

* * *

-On Earth, Max's Earth. In Tokyo, Japan-

It was a regular night in Tokyo for everybody. People were bustling, artificial lights were shining, and angry middle-aged Japanese men were yelling at each other like their lives depended on it.

"Watch where you drive that matchbox you call a car you old coot!"

"Oh, I'm sooooo scared! What's with the American Hummer?! You trying to compensate for something baldy?!"

"Your face!"

"Your Mom!"

Yup, a regular day.

Three friends in particular were enjoying the rest of their regular day. School was over, so they had the rest of the time to themselves. Two of the girls wore a girls' school uniform, but the last girl wore what she wanted to wear, a guys' uniform.

The first girl had brownish-black hair put into a braid with dark-auburn highlights. Her eyes were blue, but if you looked closely, you could see them change into different shades of blue as her emotions shifted. She was… uh…un-tall _(By Dragoness: Go ahead and say it, I'm short. Just don't call me Ochibi, Ochibi-chan or Shortie) (Me: She'll hurt you)_, at 5 feet exactly in height. She was the one who didn't wear the girls' school uniform. Her outfit consisted of a white button up shirt under a black vest, a red tie and black pants. She had red and black sneakers and instead of the usual white school slippers, hers were black. (In her locker obviously)

The second girl had long and curly red hair that went down to her back, bluish-green eyes and an… um… fuller figure compared to the other two girls. Her uniform was adjusted into a rather casual look, at least compared to anyone else who wears it.

The third girl had straight black hair that went just below her ears with neon pink and blonde highlights on her left bangs. Her eyes were sky blue, spikes of brown towards the outer edge of her irises. She wore a pair of glasses with rectangular frames of gold and red metal. Her uniform was neat and clean, like an average student.

You'd think with their exotic looks and one's rebellion to the Japanese school tradition of uniform wearing that they were gaijins (foreigners) or yankees (Japanese students who cause trouble). But no, they aren't. At least I don't think they are… maybe, but I'm not sure… Hey, am I breaking the fourth wall by pondering about this? Oh forget it…

The shortest girl sighed happily as she looked to the school behind her, "I'm so glad to FINALLY be out of that hell!" She exclaimed. "Only several more weeks until it's finally over Miyako! Yuki!"

Yuki, the red-head looked at her friend with exasperation, "It isn't all that bad Tsuki, I may not like school either but at least I can tolerate it."

Miyako gave Tsuki, a critical look, "Maybe school would be better for you if you didn't keep giving mobs a reason to chase you."

Tsukiko, or 'Tsuki', huffed, "I have my opinion, and I stick by my opinion! If they don't like it," Her eyes darkened to a dark cloudy midnight blue, "**THEN THEY CAN BURN IN HELL FOR ALL I CARE!!!" **She raged.

Her two friends shook their heads exasperatedly, and Miyako whacked the Not-so-Tall girl upside the head, "Oh snap out of it Tsukiko." She said exasperated.

Tsukiko's eyes returned to their usual shade, "Ah, Gomen. Those fangirl mobs just piss me off so much sometimes." She apologized, of course under her breath she muttered "Stupid bitches are gonna pay one day, reeeeaaaal soon."

Yuki shrugged, "We're used to it Tsuki. Besides you're a Fangirl yourself." Tsuki flipped her off and gave her the glare that she used whenever she was going to say (coughARGUEcough) "I'm not a DAMN Trendie!! Video games, animes and mangas are a completely different matter!!"

Miyako smirked, "Suuuuuuure they are..."

The mana pulse rushed through the city, and a strange feeling washed over the three girls as they froze in their tracks. They all felt sick suddenly, but the feeling came and went. Slightly nauscious, they all shivered at the same time. At the same, exact, time. Creepy…

Tsukiko shook the feeling off, "Whoa…" She breathed uneasily, "That was… really weird." The dark haired girl looked to her two friends, "Did you guys feel it too?"

"Yeah," Yuki agreed while Miyako nodded her head shakily, "It was really strange. I felt sick, and even now I feel like I might puke a little."

Miyako hiccupped slightly, "Man, I feel like something's messing with my insides." She groaned.

Yuki regained enough of herself to look around, "As bad as we feel, I want to know something…" She looked to the people around them, however citizens continued with their lives as if nothing happened, "…How come it seems that only we felt it?"

Miyako nodded, "Yeah, and what could it mean? If no one else could feel it, then it has to do with us in some way." She scratched her head in thought.

Yuki sighed, "Well, whatever it was, it's gone now. Best not to worry about it too much, right Tsuki?" She asked.

The shorter of the two was lost in thought however, so she didn't hear them at the moment. This was one of Tsuki's "Serious" moments, despite appearances she could become very serious if her friends were involved or when it was needed, such as now.

Miyako seemed annoyed, "Oi! Tsuki! Wake up already!"

"Oh!" Tsuki snapped out of her trance, "Um… yeah, right. No need to worry about a thing, hehe…" She chuckled nervously, total 360.

Both of her friends looked at her strangely, but let it slide as they continued their way home from school. Tsukiko hung in the back of their small trio, her mind in overdrive,

'_That feeling that washed over me, it makes me feel uneasy. There weren't any bad intentions in it, just the opposite actually, but it seems really suspicious. Only Yuki, Miyako, and I felt it. Why is that? We all felt sick suddenly too. Dammit! What does it all mean?' _The dark haired girl thought to herself. With a sigh, a frown and serious eyes (clear dark blue) once again, she looked to the moon, her guide.

* * *

-Another Part Japan, Kyoto-

"I thought Kyoto was supposed to give me inspiration and excitement, not plain, dull, boredom!" Complained a voice in the city.

As we pan closer, we see a young woman looking at her notepad in disappointment. She had dark blonde hair that went down to her shoulders, and mint green eyes as pure as any forest (Or a mint flavored Sundae). She wore a dark blue blouse with a white inside shirt, and a pair of regular everyday jeans. On her feet were sandals, and in front of her eyes were a small pair of black rimmed glasses.

"Stupid Kyoto, this trip cost a lot of money. I just can't find that spark I need to make this new story! You think that a place with four spiritual guardian animals would inspire SOMETHING at least." The young woman grumbled to herself.

"Yokomaru Lei!" Came a voice from behind her, with an irritated glance she saw the police force that was tasked with protecting the structure she was looking at currently, the Rashoumon Gate.

One guard stepped forward, "While you HAVE paid good money to get closer to Gate, we advise you not to get any closer or even attempt to touch it." He warned.

Lei was confused, "Why not? I may not have been thinking of it but maybe I want to study it even closer than I am now."

The second guard frowned, "Because we had an incident few years ago where one brat touched the damned gate. People who were close enough said that it opened, but that was never confirmed. When the police force made it, the kid was unconscious, and the door was closed." He explained. _(Me: Explanation time! In this story, the Rashoumon Gate is a giant door rumored to be a portal to hell. But it has long been in ruin.)_

The third guard seethed, "How could one stupid brat cause so much trouble? We had to deal with the media and the civilian questions for five days! Idiotic boy was probably possessed by some demon too!" He snorted.

Lei glared at the third man, "Now that's quite enough. I understand what the situation was like but that's no need to speak badly about a young boy like that." She spat, "Get out of my sight, NOW!"

They left.

Lei grinned with her eyes closed and stuck her tongue out at the cowardly men. The expression made her look vulpine, like a fox, "Stupid idiots. I hate dealing with guys like them."

_(Me: Owned.) _

It wasn't too soon before she felt it as well. The pulse of mana blasted through Kyoto as well, not felt and unnoticed by everyone (almost everyone) as it washed through the streets.

Lei's eyes widened as she felt the mana, it blew through her making her feel slightly sick. She shivered and fell to her knees as the mana worked through her system and left as quickly as it came. The nausea was still there, but she felt better. The young woman began to wonder what happened to her.

'_Oh dear, what was THAT? It was so strange.' _Her head spun, _'That feeling just now, I feel like it's changing something inside of me."_

As Lei got up, she suddenly felt the urge to get closer to the gate. She knew that feeling just a few moments ago had nothing to do with the Rashoumon, but she now felt as if she HAD to find whatever inspiration it could offer. The young woman was curious. Besides, 'What's the worse that could happen anyway?' She thought as she wobbled unsteadily over to the large door.

They said curiosity killed the cat. Who said anything about foxes?

* * *

-Back at Mana's Lab, Location Unknown-

-1st Person POV-

(Piano starts off)… Bum, ba bum… bum bum…

(Enter the fanfare!) Bum, ba bum! Bum, bum bum!

…

Okay, I officially EPIC Fail on trying to recreate the Halo theme. Hell! That wasn't even anywhere close! But nonetheless! I have returned back from the dead! I rise again from the ashes that were left behind!

And I feel that my second coming really should have dramatic music added in it, but I guess I can't have everything now can I?

Geez… I feel really stiff after that whole death thing. But at the same time, I feel great. Better than I did before I died that's for sure.

Oh yeah, they lied. I didn't see my life flash before my eyes, there was no light at the end of the dark tunnel either! All that you find yourself in is a void. A big, dank, dark, boring, VOID.

At least I'm alive again. Mana sure managed to come through for me!

I had my pinky finger dig into my ears, just to make sure that my eardrums were still okay. Mana can sure scream, Choir Lady should be her next occupation should the "Take Sexy Young Men and turn them into Heroes" gig not work out for her.

Me? Sexy? Ha! Yeah right!

I dunno what happened in here, looks like a bomb went off with everything so messy right now, but it feels good to be alive once more.

"Oi Mana! You sure have a set of lungs on you that's for sure." I laughed.

I was unprepared for the Super Glomp that would precede my little joke. I fell flat on my (new) ass as Mana continued to hug me.

I felt really awkward for some reason, dunno why. Huh, I feel a draft all of a sudden,

"Hey, hey. I'm all right now ain't I?" I stroked her hair gently, a tactic I used with an old friend to calm her (the friend) down, "I feel great in fact! This new body you gave me really does wonders Mana!"

I felt good on the inside too. Someone in the world cared about me enough to worry about me after I died. Even if I only knew her for an hour or so.

She looked up at me with a small smile "I am… very glad you are alright. I am relieved that the process was a success, I… I thought I had failed you…" She hugged me tighter and buried her face into my (new) chest.

I hugged her back, albeit awkwardly. It's funny how Fate plays out… that bitch up there with God really loves messing with me doesn't she?

But I can tolerate her tricks, just this once. If not for me, but for Mana.

Now… to those who hadn't caught on yet, you should very well know that something was missing during that very tender moment (And to those who did, you get a cookie). It wasn't candles, strawberries and whipped cream, chocolate, or that lovey dovey confession that was missing…

…It was clothes…

…… For me…

I realized that when I realized how cold the floor was, and how Mana's touch was really warm and really nice. And… the fact that her knee was pushing into (the newly recreated) 'Little Maxi' down there…

Hn… My right eye twitched…

"Ano…" I began uncomfortably as Mana continued hugging me, "Mana-chan, I hate to break up our little moment, but I have to tell you right now that I am naked… very very naked… in the nuuuuuuude… wearing my birthday suit…" My delivery was rather blunt, but it got the job done.

Mana froze completely, stiff as a board. She looked up at me again, then at my bare chest, and then lower as she began to pale…

She bolted off of me… now sporting a blush that could very well put Hinata Hyuuga to shame. I was talking about a full body blush here. Ha Ha! Emotionless lady is showing something now.

"Ehehe…" I scratched the side of my (new) face uncomfortably, "Can I get a towel…?... Or a fig leaf?" Hey, she had leaves in her hair; you gotta put them to some use right?

A towel was thrown at me, or more specifically my lower regions. Mana kept her face in her hands as she began apologizing profusely to me.

"I-I am sorry! I-I-I-I did not s-see anything! Oh My! I invaded your privacy! Oh dear oh dear oh dear oh dear oh dear..." She went on like that for a while.

Me? I sweatdropped.

Hey… that felt pretty cool! So that's what it's like to sweatdrop huh? It's like some huge drop of water at the back of my head that tries to slide down lower but can't.

I smiled nervously as I tried to calm the techno-witch down, "Oi Oi… it wasn't your fault really! I didn't even notice until a few moments ago! C'mon…" But she went on, mumbling apologies from inside her hands.

* * *

It took awhile, but I got Mana to stop apologizing to me and to get her face out of her hands. Who knew she would get so embarrassed by my male anatomy. I'm starting to think she may be a closet pervert like me.

"Now that we've calmed down to a reasonable level, let's continue with the rest of what you wanted me to do." I said.

"Very well…" She mumbled embarrassedly, "But we must first get you clothing. I… do not want you to get ill from the draft."

I shrugged, "Alright."

Mana managed a quick hug before we departed, "I am glad that I did not lose you Maxwell." She smiled cutely.

"Would've been a tragedy huh?" I returned the smile.

And so we left for the clothing place. The walk was a big pain in my (new) ass, and I could've sworn that I felt another draft somewhere along the way. But at least I made it without any further problems.

"We are here. There are many choices of clothing in the next room, so you are free to choose how you want to dress from now until the end of the journey. Pick something that will fit you, and at the same time offer free mobility and comfort." Mana said as she opened another sliding wall. Except this one was much smaller, near regular door size. I walked in, and Mana shut the door with another wave.

My jaw dropped (on the inside of course!). This place was like some giant closet that only Bill Gates could afford. It was about the size of a large mansion, really tall ceiling and ridiculously wide walls included. Clothes were everywhere, hung up on racks, folded up on the floor, in baskets… How would I be able to pick a single outfit from all of THIS?!

I put my forehead into my waiting palm, "Oy vey… It's just like shopping with my mom." I hung my head and ventured into the closet, "Hope there's something in here I like…"

Let this be known… I hate shopping…

* * *

The search is going well in my opinion, I already found some underwear; a pair of socks, some comfy dark blue boxers and a white undershirt. I just need to find some outer wear now.

Weeeell… I may not have found any clothes yet, but I did find a mirror in an amazing stroke of luck. I took a jacket out of a large pile of clothes, and they all fell apart to reveal it.

If I could whistle, I would. I'm usually not vain in any way (even then, I only joke), but DAMN! I am SEXY! I am officially the Asian Adonis, and there's no denying that I look good at the moment.

My skin was a Mexican/Latino kind of dark before, but it paled considerably in this new body of mine. I actually look like I'm Japanese now with my sorta tan, but not too tan skin. There were also no bruises, pimples, or birthmarks anywhere! Well, except for the two small black ash marks on my cheeks. It looked like it was the guy version of a permanent anime blush. My black hair got longer, as it could now reach my shoulders. It was still spiked downwards, but it was wavy with the wind too! It hung over my eyes in a cool way, like those super anime badasses or something. My eyes were still their natural dark brown/chocolate color, and I could see that they were shining more. My face had little, if any baby fat in it. I think I'm actually a little bit chiseled as a matter a fact. I touched my stomach and my chest, then went for my arms. I was amazed at the fact that I ACTUALLY had some form of muscle. I wasn't buff, and I don't think they were too noticeable, but I had muscle! A bicep, triceps, and even a forming six pack (still a LONG way to go…) It was better than that lanky thing I had going on with my old body. I opened my mouth and looked at my teeth, and they were all perfect! All white and shiny, though my canines had gotten a little bit bigger… and sharper. Coooool.

Another thing that I noticed a while ago was that my voice got deeper. I mean deep. It wasn't the baritone of super-bass or anything, but it gave that perfect deep sound. To make the explanation simple, I sounded kinda like Laharl from Disgaea before (resemblance was uncanny), but now I sound deeper and more… suave, was it? This is soooooo cool.

I love this new body! I look good, I sound good, I feel good, and I might even be stronger! Hiiiiiyaaaah!

**BANG!**

"ITAI!!!" Goddamnit! I cradled my slightly injured fist with my other hand. I really shouldn't have tried to test it on that wall… Pain… Agony… Pain… My poor fist…

I took pride in the fact that my attempt wasn't in vain. I managed to dent the metal in the wall just a tiny bit.

… Gah… I think I should just keep looking for clothes now….

I scoured the halls of the huge closet to find the right clothes for my look. It's been so long! I don't think I can go on much longer… soda… need soda (cough) (hack)

In my little daze I crashed into a sign pole. When I regained my bearings and looked up I read the sign, it said:

"_Clothes for Adventurers! Beyond this point."_

… My right eye began twitching uncontrollably…

Great… Lady Luck ALSO likes playing around with me…

I began walking again. I was glad that in the Adventurer's Wing, the outfits were on blank faced mannequins. They all had matching attire that fit the adventuring bidness. It saved me the time of looking through piles of clothing or matching if I'm too lazy to come up with my own mix.

I let out a sigh as I continued to look through the different styles on the mannequins. Mana sure had a weird taste in clothing that was for sure. I saw a dinosaur outfit, a Viking's fur armor, some… weird thing that looked like it was used for bondage… ugh, I'm still shivering after that sight. Why doesn't this closet have something I actually LIKE?! It's like looking for a good video game, the place that's selling has everything else in stock, but not what you want. But it's funny, because of that little play of Fate, I found Tales of Symphonia in the shelf, untouched by everyone. It was used, I was bored, I had nothing else to choose in the store, and the cover looked interesting.

I bought it, I loved it, and ever since then I became an avid 'Tales' fan. It's kinda like when people convert to Christianity, but for the right reasons.

Memories are fun to dwell in, but I'm getting off track again. I suck at choosing clothes. It's always so complicated, and I just want something that fits my look and style. I looked like one of those cool anime guys now, I needed something to fit that look…

Wait… That's it!

I ran, 'cause I knew what I wanted now. I looked at every mannequin for a certain article of clothing I wanted in my look. Believe it or not, I liked my outfit to match. So I had to run a lot to find things to compare and test out together. It took a while but I found what I was looking for.

As the minutes passed, I had a smile that kept on growing. I found all that I needed, and left to find the mirror again.

I now sported a black jacket, it was made from a very nice kinda leather, but it was also very comfortable and silky. It was shiny and wavy, blowing with the unseen wind. It was the perfect article of clothing for dramatic and heroic moments. Inside the jacket was a dark blue collared shirt, it had these weird runic designs all over it that made it look cool. On my hands were black fingerless gloves that had black steel plating at the knuckles. The gloves allowed free movement to my hands, as if I never even had gloves in the first place. Over my legs were a pair of navy slops and/or jeans. I wasn't really sure, as my forte wasn't in the clothing business, but whatever it was, it felt good. I wore two dark brown belts crossed into an 'X' at my waist. It held my pants up, and allowed extra protection if any swordsman tries to play dirty. Instead of combat boots like any normal adventurers would have, I wore a pair of black and silver sneakers. They looked really tough, and the design was better than anything Nike Shoes could've ever thought of (at least to me anyway…). Last but not least, I took some shades from a disembodied mannequin head and stashed them away in my jacket. They were orange tinted, and they looked exactly like the ones on Zangetsu no Ossan from Bleach. You never know when you need eye protection that makes you look even cooler.

My outfit was officially beast! I clenched my fist slowly with a grin plastered on my face, and continued testing the outfit out with a few stretches and punches.

"Heh…" The pride I had in my outfit wouldn't go away for a while, but an observation just hit me like a pile of bricks:

"Now that I got the outfit, where do I find the exit?"

Dammit…

"_There is no need, I have found you."_ I heard Mana's oh-so-familiar monotone voice say. I looked up to see flying robot with Mana's face on the screen.

"Geez Mana, what don't you have at this lab?" I asked with my (new) eyebrow raised.

She thought about it for a moment, _"I do not think I am missing anything important if that is what you mean."_ She said.

"Nevermind." I shook my head, "Anyways, how do like the new duds? Picked 'em out myself that I did." I said proudly.

Mana looked confused, _"Duds? I do not believe there is any defective technology on your person."_

"No Mana, 'duds' are also a term that can mean the same thing as clothes. I'm asking you what you think of my new clothes." I elaborated. She out of it or what?

"_Oh,"_ She looked embarrassed, either at the outfit or the fact that she didn't know the term, "_It… looks very… handsome… on you Maxwell."_ She turned her head away in embarrassment with a sincere smile.

Definitely the outfit.

"Thanks Mana!" I grinned, "You wouldn't believe how long it took to put all of this together. Your compliment means a lot to me."

"_It is no problem."_ She said quickly. _"Now, before you leave, I must enchant your clothing. Normal apparel would never last the journey you are about to go through."_

The flying Screen Robot pulled out a gun of some sort and shot me with it. All over my body I felt this strange tingle. My clothes glowed eerily, but the shine went away a minute after.

"_Process complete"_ Mana stated as she nodded her head, _"The clothing is now akin to an extremely light suit of armor. They provide great protection, are wrinkle free, mold resistant, and almost impossible to tear or cut by normal means. They are also able to regenerate should they be ripped in any way."_

"Sugoi." I grinned.

Anyways, after a quick escort back, Mana had a really long table ready, it looked like a really big dinner table that was for sure. She was tinkering with a machine on one far end of the ridiculously long piece of décor. I just hope that this thing doesn't explode like the Soul Saver thing did.

"Ah, Maxwell," She smiled slightly, "Please come over to this side of the table so we may begin the next step of preparation."

I complied, but I was still wary, "Do I want to know what this thing does?" I asked looking down the long table.

"Yes, it is required if we are to begin the next step." She nodded, "This is the 'Thought Builder'. It will turn any thought you consciously or sub-consciously think of into reality. For example, if you are to think up a plate of food when I start the machine, it will be made exactly as you imagined it. Taste, texture, and the ingredients that compile it."

…This IS a dinner table!!!

"However, I will be using the Thought Builder to turn your thoughts into weaponry that you may or may not use for your journey."

Insert the disappointed sigh… I'm hungry…

"Weapons?" I asked, "I thought you would've provided those yourself. I mean, living in a high-tech military base and all."

Mana shook her head, "I may have weapons, but they are hardly for human use. They are made to protect this facility and act as guards against invasions." She put some weird helmet on me, "The weaponry that will be made now will come from your very own thoughts and imaginations. I know from my own experiences that when you are to make something, it is the only thing that you will ever truly enjoy being able to use. I was given the option to create this facility using other technology than my own, but I chose to create everything in this base with my bare hands. I feel… comfortable being surrounded by my own creations, rather than someone else's. You will also have this feeling with your weapon."

Geez, she can be deep when she wants to. Hard to believe everything in here was made by her BARE hands, just goes to show how amazing she is. I don't have that kinda determination, I'm too lazy to do things like this.

That'll hafta change during this journey…

The green-haired techno-whiz pressed a button at the side of the long table, now turning it into a functioning conveyer belt. Walking over to her machine, she turned it on and began pulling levers and pressing buttons. The thing turned on.

"Seems operational… Maxwell, please focus all of your thoughts on whatever weapons you can think of. I will handle the rest." She said.

Weapons I can think of… well, I don't want to get sued for copyright or anything. So, it looks like all my weapons are going to hafta be original. Think, concentrate, no food related thoughts… hn… I closed my eyes…

Ite… I feel like my head is being sucked on by a leach. If this is what a hangover feels like I'll never drink in my life.

I opened my eyes again and sweatdropped, a Copyright Contract, a plate of French Fries, a leech, and beer bottle came out of the Thought Builder and onto the conveyer belt. My sweatdrop grew when a sweatdrop shot out of the machine.

All Non-Weapon items were promptly incinerated by something at the end of the other end of the conveyer belt.

"Concentrate Maxwell!" She said sternly.

Oh right, right… concentrate…

It took a while, but weapons finally came out of the machine. My weapons. I felt proud to see so many of my thought weapons filling the conveyer belt until it reached the other end. Mana stopped the process there and took the helmet off of me.

I felt woozy, but other than that… okay… well, mostly anyway. At least dear Mana was kind enough to keep me standing.

"Excellent job Maxwell." She complimented as she held me up, "I did not expect to see so many ideas come from one person. If you are feeling better, please search the belt and pick out your weapon. You may only pick one for the entire journey, so choose wisely."

As soon as I was able to stand by myself I immediately began to seek out Getsuga, Neo's sword. This weird feeling began bugging me as I began scanning through the weapons on the belt. When I found him, something just didn't feel right. I picked up the dark blue and silver katana as I my thoughts went deep.

This was Neo's partner. The sword that was at his side ever since I thought him up. The two of them had been through every evil imaginable, and they'd always be there for the other. They both provided the strength the other needed to keep going, and that's why their bond was so strong…

Did I really want Neo's weapon… his partner for my own…?

No… I'm not Neo, just some kid who aspires to be like him. Despite the fact that I want to be just like my hero, I wanted my very own partner in my very own journey. I frowned and put Getsuga down, beginning my search through the other weapons. Something... someone was calling out to me...

As I walked down the table, another katana caught my eye. This one looked old and rusty, but it was still sharp. I picked it up, and saw the skulls engraved into the guard and hilt, which were ashen gray. I knew that this was the bloodthirsty old coot Kurai. Kurai Norokarite. Full translation: The Dark Curse Reaper.

No… I don't think I can control him like Neo could. Bloodthirsty old man would overwhelm me the second I was down. I put him down and began looking again.

My next stop was at a pair of katanas that were the complete opposite of each other. The first blade was white and gold; it represented light, angels and heaven. The second was black and purple; it represented darkness, devils, and hell. By Fate's decree, they were to be sworn enemies. But contrary to that rule, they complimented each other, fought together, and completed each other. I knew the pair as soon as I saw them, Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

I smiled a bit, the idea was inspired by Kingdom Hearts, but these were actual swords instead of giant keys. They kinda fit, but no, they weren't mine. Lloyd could use them better than I ever could. Besides, I want my style and partner to be original.

I continued walking down the belt, keeping a sharp eye out for the perfect partner. All of these potential partners are so special in their own way, but so far none of the weapons here caught my eye or called out to me. Before I knew it, I was at the end of the conveyer belt.

I sighed; there was nothing at the end of the belt. If I was right, the weapon at this end would've been my first thought, but… I guess I didn't think of anything…

"Are you unable to find the correct weapon that will fit you?" Mana asked. I nodded with a sigh.

The green-haired woman held out her hand, "Maxwell, while you were looking through any potential weapons, I was looking through them as well. When I was at the end of the belt, I found this."

She opened her hand to reveal a beautiful crystal. It was ice blue in color and shaped to perfection, vertical like a needle. At the bottom tip, the crystal grew out two curved symmetrical hooks. At the top half, the crystal had two shards coming out from the sides like wings, and a slight mist came off of it. My eyes widened, I couldn't believe that it was her. I knew it was HER!

"She's perfect…" I muttered in a daze, "Hey Mana, do you think you could hand over my new partner please." I asked smiling.

"Her?" Mana asked in monotone confusion as she handed the crystal over.

"Yeah, her. She's a girl."

Mana looked even more confused, "I do not believe that crystals have genders, Maxwell."

I smiled, "That's only just a bunch of scientific mumbo jumbo. When it comes to matters of the spirit, the rules of science don't apply." I offered a grin, "Everything has a spirit Mana, you, me, and the lady in my hands now. People forget that, when they fight, their partner is always by their side to help them. They have their own spirit, and it's sad when the owner doesn't recognize that their partner is more than just a weapon, or a piece of metal or wood. Believe it or not, most likely all of the weapons I thought up of have their own soul in them. She…" I held up the crystal in my hand, "Just happens to be the first one I thought up of."

Mana seemed to understand, maybe, "I… will not pretend to truly understand the concept, but I will not doubt your judgement. Though, I am confused, how are you able to participate in combat with a crystal?"

I had a full blown grin on my face now.

"She's more than just your average crystal; you just need the magic words to unlock her potential!"

I made some room between me and Mana. With the Azure Crystal (as I dub it) in my hand, I clenched my fist and held her (the crystal) out,

"Okay, let's see if I can remember what to say." I dug deep into my mind, trying to remember the words I made up as a kid. First awakening was always supposed to be a hassle, and it's always supposed to be long and kinda stuffy. It wasn't long before that memory pulled up, the words came back.

"Rise, my lady. I, thy Knight in this Castle of Crystal call upon your strength to aid me in battle. Stand and Fight!" I clenched my fist even more and crushed the crystal inside my fist. I felt it break into small misty fragments inside my hand and watched as the mist began to wrap around my arm.

My head began to hurt like hell; it wasn't long before I was covered by darkness once again.

* * *

…

… Owie… stupid unconsciousness. This is getting annoying; I keep getting knocked out for some stupid reason or another. In one case I died! Geez… I must be super weak or something…

"Oi! Stop bringing yourself down like that!" I heard a rather feminine but rather childish sounding voice yell out.

"How mean! I'm not childish, I'm just young for my age!" The voice yelled again.

Geez… it's like it can hear my thoughts…

"That's 'cause I can!"

Okay, that's enough.

I got up and on my feet, as soon as I opened my eyes I found myself awestruck at the world around me.

I was in a very big, very beautiful grassy plain. The grass was extremely healthy and kept from growing too much. There were very few, if any trees growing from the ground. Even then, they were very beautiful, with ice blue colored flowers growing from the branches like a Sakura tree. On the grassland, large patches of flowers grew, also ice blue in color. All of the wonderful scenery blew with the pleasant wind that was in the air, cool and comforting. The sky was a brilliant light blue, and puffy white clouds flew overhead slowly. The sun was bright, but it didn't make things too warm or too hot. It was nice and peaceful, so calm and pretty… It was of ethereal beauty…

"It's so beautiful here…" I smiled.

"It is isn't it? And I have you to thank for this wonderful world of mine!" Exclaimed the voice.

Next thing I know, I'm glomped from behind. I managed to twist myself around at the last second so that I'd hit the floor on my back. The whole situation is total déjà vu. I looked up, the sun made the figure on top of me into a dark shadow, but the figure shifted so that it was now sitting on my chest. I could see it a lot better now.

"Hiya!" I knew it was another girl smiling down on me. She sounded so happy and so carefree that I couldn't help but smile too.

"Yo, I'm Maxwell." I greeted back to be polite.

The girl giggled, "Baka, of course I know that! You think that I wouldn't know my new master? I know that you know me too!"

"Well, at least that gets the awkward introductions out of the way, right Kiyohime?" I laughed.

She laughed too, "Right!"

Her name is Kiyohime. But her full name/title would be _Kiyohime no Sendousha_: Vanguard of the Pure Princess. She was supposed to be a partner for Neo, but it just didn't seem right to put them together because he already had Getsuga. So I scrapped the idea entirely, but I kept her because she was one of my favorite ideas.

She had long white/silver hair put into a braid behind her head, a single spiked bang hung over her eyes, which were the same color as her hair. She had a healthy tan complexion, and it made her look exotic. She wore a long light blue dress that made her seem regal or look like royalty. She had very good…. womanly attributes, ahem. Her feet and hands were bare, and she had really sharp nails, borderline claws. She didn't hurt me with them though. Did I mention that she has wings? 'Cause she does. And horns too! Her wings were a mix of white feathers and ice blue scales. The horns stuck out and curved at the sides of her head.

She was meant to look like a dragon, but in reality and up close she was really beautiful, like an angel.

"Why thank you Kazama-sama. To tell you the truth, you look very handsome too." She grinned, showing off her fangs.

… Damn, they're bigger than mine.

"So Kazama-sama, since you're here, it must mean that you've tried to awaken me for the first time, right?" She asked as she got off of me.

I sighed, still lying on the grass (too lazy to get up), "Yeah, but I got knocked unconscious trying. Seems to be happening a lot to me lately." I grumbled the last part quietly.

Kiyohime kneeled down flicked me on the head playfully, "Well duh! It was your first awakening! You didn't think that you could use me without a pact, right?"

I was a little lost, "I didn't know that I needed a pact…" Blink.

"Well… you do." She stated simply, "Ours souls may have a bond, but to actually utilize my power, you have to form a pact."

I looked at her with a little bit of fear, mostly because I knew how strong she was, "I don't have to fight you do I?"

Kiyohime looked aghast, "Oh no! Nothing like that! I'm not like those Summon Spirits in Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, my pact is much simpler than theirs." She added quietly, "Besides, I could never bring myself to hurt you."

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Hehe, nothing at all!" She stuck her tongue out.

I looked at her strangely, but let it go.

"So, what does YOUR pact entail exactly? Nothing too bad right?" I asked.

Kiyohime looked away, "No… not really. At least I don't think so. You already managed to summon me with the bond our souls have. All that we have to do now is bite each other…"

I felt my eyes shrink into little white dots, "Eeeeehhhhh?! Did you just say 'bite each other'?! You're not a vampire are you?! I'll have you know that my blood isn't all that tasty, super bitter, oh yes you'll hate it-" I began chuckling nervously and backing up ever so slowly.

The white haired hime grabbed my hand before I could get away, a pout evident on her face, "Oi! I'm no vampire Kazama-sama! That's just how we make the pact in my family! We have to make our mark on the master, and the master has to mark us back! Through that bite, we transfer our strength into each other. It's a great dishonor if neither one of us makes a mark on the other." She looked away, "Am I unattractive or something Kazama-sama? Most male Summoners jump at the chance when the time comes…" Oh boy… I could see tears forming.

I put my hands in front of me defensively, "No, no! Kiyohime it isn't like that at all! You're very beautiful, very very beautiful…" I blushed, "I'm sorry; you just shocked me with the delivery is all. I didn't really expect this…"

Kiyohime's eyes sparkled hopefully, "So will you do it, Kazama-sama?!"

"I, uh…" Dammit, stupid pact rules. I hung my head, "… Okay… sure, go ahead if you want…" I know I'll regret this later…

She grinned, "Arigatou Kazama-sama!" She leapt at me, and dug her fangs into my neck.

The one thought I had at the moment was this, _'I'm such a damn pushover when it comes to women.'_

I let out a small yelp of surprise. It didn't really hurt so much, it mostly felt like it was burning really. I'm so glad she's not a bloodthirsty vampire. Though I actually managed a squeak when she began licking the stray blood off of my neck after she was done.

When she let go, I immediately put my hand to my neck to check for any puncture wounds. I was surprised though, my wound healed up super quick, there wasn't even evidence that she bit me.

"Kazama-sama," Kiyohime sang, "It's your turn now." She tilted her head to reveal her neck more.

I was still apprehensive about this whole thing, so I didn't do more than get behind her and move my mouth over to her neck.

Oh god, this seems so perverted…

"Kazama-sama," She huffed, "C'mon, I bit you. Now you hafta bite me."

I sighed, my morals were about to take a HUGE blow. I steeled myself, and sunk my slightly overdeveloped canines into her neck.

I felt that same burning sensation again, though it was much stronger now. I didn't know that I was subconsciously putting mana into my bite, as I was getting kinda distracted by her moaning. I let go of her quickly before I did anything else even remotely perverted, and blushed lightly in embarrassment.

Then I saw it, an intricate seal of some sort formed on her neck, spinning and locking itself before it vanished in one final glow. I blinked owlishly.

"The pact has been made, Kazama-sama." Kiyohime sighed in pleasure. I was too embarrassed and confused to reply.

I was out of it for a few minutes, until Kiyohime began knocking on my head like a door, "Ne-ne, Okiro-te Kazama-sama!" I snapped out of my trance.

"I'm fine! I'm fine! Just a little shell shocked… is all. Ehehehe…" I sweatdropped at myself.

Kiyohime grinned, "Now that wasn't so hard now was it?'

"Not really, it just felt perverted to me."

"Oh don't be such a prude Kazama-sama! It was only a bite!"

I sighed, "Geez, you make me feel like a snack plate. At least we finished the pact." I rubbed the area where I was bitten, "Thanks for your time Kiyohime." I smiled.

"Anytime Kazama-sama." She hugged me. Geez, ain't she affectionate?

There was just one more thing I had to settle before I left… "Oi, Kiyohime, before I go I want you to fix how you refer to me."

She looked confused, "You don't like your title Kazama-sama? Should I use Kazama-dono or something?"

I shook my head, "Nah, if anything, do the opposite. I'm not your master Kiyohime, I'm just the kid who's lucky enough to hold your pact. As far as I see it, we're equals through and through, or you're more powerful at the very least. I want you to call me by my name from now on, no more master or anything like that. I don't deserve honorifics like those, and to tell you the truth, they make me feel really old. We're partners, I want it to stay that way, 'kay Aibo? Call me Max."

Kiyohime frowned, "You are very strange, much more different than any other summoners in the earlier generations…"

Her lips shifted into a smirk in a split second, "… But lucky for you, I like strange. You got a deal Aibo! From now on, you're gonna be called Maxi-kun!"

Maxi-kun… well, it's an improvement at the very least. Better than Kazama-sama or Kazama-dono. It just sounds so childish…

I nodded my head in approval, "That'll do, it takes a load off of my mind at least. Ja na, Kiyohime. I'll visit some other time when I'm not saving a world."

She grinned, "Ja na, Maxi-kun!"

* * *

It wasn't too long after my spiritual encounter that I found myself conscious once again. I only had to open my eyes to find myself back in the metal confinement that was Mana's lab. I looked around dumbly to find that absolutely no time had passed while with Kiyohime, but I felt something about me changed.

And Mana looked totally and utterly shocked as she stared at me. Wonder why?

'_YOOOOOOOO!__'_ I heard a familiar voice in my head yell loudly. My ears rang a bit from her volume.

'_Owwwwwww… Kiyohime…' _I whined mentally as my ears were abused.

'_Ah, sorry 'bout that Maxi-kun! I thought I had the mental voice volume thingy turned down, but it looks like I forgot.' _She replied sheepishly.

'_No, you're just naturally loud and hyper.' _

Kiyohime huffed, _'Well! Excuse me! People are SO rude nowadays!'_ She sniffed haughtily.

I glared mentally on the other line, _'I should be the one saying that to you!'_

We both growled mentally at one another, but in the end we just started laughing. I have the strangest relationships…

'_So, what were trying to call about.' _I asked.

'_Nothing in particular, I'm just trying to test this new power out. And it's a success!' _She gave me a thumbs up, _'Also, since we made our pact official, my crystal took physical form as your weapon. Take a look at your right arm, you'll find a little surprise!'_

I did as she told me, and found my arm wasn't normal anymore. Instead of freaking out like any normal person would, I simply smiled in pleasant surprise.

Amazing. That was the only word running through my head at the moment. My entire right arm was covered in azure crystal, or more specifically; Kiyohime's personal azure crystal armor. Radiant, sleek, and beautiful, it put a whole new spin on simple armor. A large and sharp crystal shard came out from my shoulder and pointed upward, on my forearm there were 3 spike-like crystal fins; one on the top of my forearm, and two at the sides. Surrounding my wrist was an ethereal ring of crystal mist, and my once normal fingers were now covered with armor that made them look like razor-edged claws. My knuckles had pointy, but blunt armor covering them, making it possible to deal out devastating punches.

'_Oh Hell Yes... Kiyohime my dear, you are one deadly rose.' _I grinned as I clenched and unclenched my fist.

'_Oh you…'_

I raised my arm and twisted it around so that the back of my hand was facing outwards,

'_Now, say my name, my knight.'_

I followed the command, "Kiyohime no…" **SHINK!** A dual-edged triangular blade jutted out from the mist ring of my wrist, pointing out so that one blade flat was facing the back of my hand. The edges were light azure, like the rest of my gauntlet, but the inside of the blade was a dark navy blue with strange white runes inscribed into both blade flats. Size worthy, it was pretty wide, andthe length was maybe about 2 or 3 feet.

"… Sendousha!" I finished proudly.

... (cricket chirp)

**Whump!**

(insert sweatdrop)

* * *

After that cool, dramatic moment, Mana fainted from shock. I think that the blade from my wrist was either too much for her, or it scared the living daylights out of her. No matter the reason, it was several minutes before she woke up again, waking up to find her head resting in my lap. Of course, that led to another couple more minutes of calming the embarrassment.

Mana stroked the sleek crystal that was my armor gauntlet, "Amazing…" She muttered fascinated.

I could only grin like the idiot I was, "Ain't she? I believe this is why she was my first thought, and eventually, my partner. She's the most amazing battle companion any man or woman could ask for. "

'_You really know how to flatter a lady, don't you?' _She giggled.

"I never thought that I would see one in real life." Mana muttered to herself.

I blinked as my (new) ears heard her, "Eh? See what in real life?" I asked confusedly.

The green haired techno-ace shook her head, "It is nothing. Let us continue on. We are almost done."

I eyed her for a second, but let it go, "Alright. Just let me take care of Kiyohime first." I let my arm fall back to my side and sighed, "Return to the castle, my princess." I intoned.

I felt Kiyohime smile, _'Only for you, my knight.'_

I smiled as the crystal armor receded. The original crystal was now hanging off of my neck from a silver string that seemed to come out of nowhere. My arm was completely bare, and I concluded that when I use Kiyohime she'll blow off my entire jacket and shirt sleeve. I'm glad my glove is okay though.

Kiyohime's voice rang in my head, _'Don't worry, that's just the side effect of a new pact. As we get more in tune with eachother you'll be able the control my power better, keeping me from blowing your sleeve off.'_

I smirked, '_The sleeve isn't a problem.' _In a couple of seconds the sleeve regenerated. Whew... glad that Mana's special gun formula isn't defective.

_'I'll get better for you partner. No matter what.'_

_'I'll wait no matter how long it will take.'_

"There," I concluded, "We can go now."

Mana nodded, and we began to head to the exit out of her lab. As we walked, I still felt as if something was missing. When we passed by the 'Rebirthing Lab' (I dubbed it that 'cause it's not very often that someone returns from the dead in a new body.) the feeling grew, and then something occurred to me.

"Hey Mana," I called, "I still have one more thing to pick out."

Without waiting for her to answer I walked into the ruined lab. I frowned as I began looking under the rubble and broken metal that littered the floor.

'_Maxi-kun, what're you looking for?' _Kiyohime asked curiously.

'_Just… somethin'.' _I answered vaguely.

Several minutes later I found what I was looking for imbedded in the terminal that Mana used. The Knife of Contract looked relatively unharmed, but you never know. With my newfound strength, I yanked it out of the terminal and took it with me.

Mana was confused when she saw what I held, "Why are you taking the Knife of Contract with you, Maxwell?" She asked.

I smiled wryly, "I'm taking it with me because it symbolizes my promise to help you save the worlds, as well as to change. As soon as I stabbed myself with this blade, my promise was made. Now, if I ever feel like I'm going to quit, I'll just take a look at this knife and remind myself of what I have to do for you, as well as myself."

I raised the knife and looked at the blade with resolve. On it, I found strange runes that I didn't see before when I was about to stab myself with it. I couldn't make sense of any of the runes, but they were written with my blood.

I shook my head and let the change go, for now at least. With a tired sigh, I slipped the Knife of Contract into an open space/compartment on one of the crossed belts and motioned Mana to continue on.

Man… now I'm curious…

* * *

Aaaaaaaand we're walking… we're walking… and we're walking some more…

Ah… I remember WHY I don't walk anymore. It takes too much work and effort to do. I can admit, I am a VERY lazy person; I don't like doing things that take excessive amounts of work. It's because of this, and the fact that I don't have anything I like to do (that works me into the ground anyway), that I have random bouts of insanity and large energy build-up releases. The random bouts of insanity aren't too bad; they mostly just consist of large shouts, acts of extreme violence, adrenaline induced rushes of speed, inhuman thought processes (which are never really focused), and insane/maniacal laughter. The last one is always the most fun, especially when you're able to scare the hell outta people.

Let's test that… (insert evil smirk here)

I silently cleared my throat and prepared myself, "Hmhmhmhm…Haha…Hahaha…Bwahahahaha… HAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!"

My smirk grew as I saw Mana freeze fearfully and her eyes turned into little white dots as soon as she turned to see me. She was shivering like she was trapped in a walk-in freezer.

"Ah calm down ya 'fraidy cat. I just wanted to see if I was still good at that." I smirked as I put my hand on my hip, an old habit of mine.

"Hau hau…" Mana whimpered as she hid in a random corner. I sweatdropped once more.

Damn… I didn't think my laugh would work so well! Take that Drama Club! I own every single one of you!

… I'm getting off track again. Right now I gotta work on calming Mana down, and it seems there's only one way to do it. Gah… I hate doing this, but it looks like I got no choice. I schooled my face and closed my eyes, mentally gagging about what I was about to do.

I opened my eyes again, and they now held gentleness I once used with children, "Mana-chan… I'm sorry about that. I wasn't intentionally trying to scare you like I did; I just needed to test that old skill of mine. I'll try not to scare you like that again okay? Just calm down now please…" I cooed sweetly.

Damn, I feel myself choking on my own sugariness…

That took another chunk of time, but Mana was once again calm, "I apologize." She said embarrassedly, "I tend to scare easily."

I scratched the side of my cheek awkwardly, "No problem. Sorry I scared you like that." I chuckled nervously.

The green-haired techno-egghead simply nodded, "It is of little consequence. I would like to continue on, we have almost reached the teleporter."

Oooooooooooh, a teleporter. It better not be the one that scrambles your atoms and makes it so your body parts and internal organs are all rearranged. That would really suck. And if I had a second person coming with me our brains could be switched, which might be really cool, but I wanna stay in this new body of mine.

Man, I watch too many science fiction movies. Mana better not have a shrink ray, I could make so many 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids' references.

Oop, looks like the end of the road.

With another elegant wave of her hand, Mana moved the wall-like passage to reveal another lab. This one was smaller than the last, but it had several tube-like transporter devices along one wall. At least, that was what it looked like to me.

Walking in, Mana moved over to a terminal on the opposite side of the tube-like devices, while I moved to study the said tube-like devices curiously. To me, they certainly didn't look too sturdy, and I was still apprehensive since the last thing I was inside of blew up.

"Man, I hope these things don't blow up too…" I sighed as I ran a hand through my hair.

"I do not believe they will." Mana replied opening a compartment on a wall, "However, there have been a few short circuits and blown fuses. I do not think they will pose a problem today, so do not worry."

I was expecting the worst, especially after Mana said that, _'I'm gonna die… again…'_

'_Chin up, Maxi-kun! You're a survivor! You can TOTALLY do this!'_ Kiyohime offered an encouraging grin from inside my head.

I hung my head, _'I'm gonna die… my luck is crap…'_

After a few minutes of depression, I was snapped out of my trance when a small bag was thrown at me. Catching it, I gave a questioning glance to Mana, who proceeded to explain.

"That bag was made from the latest of my dimensional technology. After several experiments I have been able to create storage units that can hold more than they appear to. I believe that the layman's term is 'hammerspace'? I have never truly understood the meaning behind that term, but nonetheless you should be able to carry as much as you want without being weighed down by it. I have not discovered an item limit yet, but you should be able to discover it while on your journey. There is also a function that can search and find any particular item you are looking for by verbal command, this will save time when you have accumulated too much and need only one or several of them."

I grinned as I attached the bag to the side of my belt, "That's really cool. It's the perfect thing for a packrat like me."

That was another quirk. I collect so much stuff, and yet I never attempt to sell them or throw them away, unless it was absolutely useless. In video games, especially 'Tales of' video games, this quirk tends to work in my advantage most if not the entire time. I usually save my stuff (even wooden blades) to synthesize for later or to give to others. That's how all my party members end up getting the best equipment. I also have something to brag about since I have every single weapon for each of my characters.

Mana nodded, "I believe you have everything you will need. Things such as gels or potions can be found in the towns or villages you will no doubt travel to. There is a small amount of gald that I synthesized in your bag, that amount should be able to meet your needs for at least 3 days before it is used up."

Holy crap! Mana is a counterfeiter!

She continued, "That is all, please step into the open teleporter pod so that we may begin the final process." I did as she told, and stuffed myself into yet another coffin-like thingy.

This is the end of the road huh? Well, it's been fun. As soon as I leave this place I begin my life anew. And maybe, this time, I can do things right.

I heard Mana's muffled muttering through my confinement. A plethora of lights surrounded my body and I felt a strange tingling sensation.

"Yo Mana!" I yelled through the tube with a smile, "I'll see ya later okay?!"

She smiled too, but I couldn't hear what she said.

'_She said, "We will meet face to face again one day, Maxwell."'_ Kiyohime told me.

My eyes softened, "Yeah, we will." Then something occurred to me, "Hey wait. How come you could hear it but I couldn't?!"

She didn't have anytime to answer as I was teleported to the New World.

My New World.

* * *

As soon as I could feel again, there was a rushing sensation all over my body. I felt as if I was pushing against a strong wind, and strangely enough, falling. I found myself surrounded by clouds, and looking down, I saw the world of Sylvarant staring right at me.

I was awed by how beautiful things were from an up-high perspective. And it just kept getting closer and closer.

Wait… why does this seem so familiar?

I looked around to see myself surrounded by blue sky, and when I looked up, I saw the cloud I was just inside of. I looked down again, and I came to a conclusion…

I was barreling towards Sylvarant…

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! DAMMIT MANAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

I was falling…

* * *

**And that's the end of a very long first chapter. **

**Yes, my real name is Maxwell. If I was named after the coffee brand or the Summon Spirit God I'll never know.**

**As you can see, this was when I was a kid. My teen years were not something I like to remember, but I decided to spice things up a bit by putting myself in a situation where I'm forced to grow up. I was smart, but sometimes I could be a brat, which I greatly despised.**

**Most of this stuff is indeed true, my behaviors, the few facts about me, and also about my self-created child-hood hero, Neo Kazama. They say that you hafta be your own hero and not rely on someone else, so I guess you could say he was everything I wanted to be while growing up. I think I accomplished that dream, and I'm content with who I am now.**

**The thing about my family isn't as dramatized as I made it. They're good people, but they actually did treat like they did when I was a kid. It wasn't as bad, I love them and all, but sometimes they could be so unbearable.**

**Also, other authors are starring in this story if you didn't notice. I think I'm still taking a couple more authors. So I'll hold something to see if you wanna join. Might wanna apply or something before the 4****th**** chapter.**

**Stars:**

**-Regina Ricae Mortis- Lei Yokomaru.**** Sorry it took so long Lei-chan… ehe… she's gonna kill me…**

**Voice Actors:**** Carlee Gabrisch (English) Satsuki Yukino (Japanese)- Rei Tachibana (Pani Poni Dash)**

**-Dragoness-of-Air13- Tsukiko Ryuu.**** Again, I'm sorry it took so long. I'm lazy, what can ya do?**

**Voice Actors:**** Kate Higgins (English) Tomoe Hanba (Japanese)- Etna (Disgaea)**

**-DarkAngel Nikishi Hatake- Yuki Mizuhana****. Sorry I couldn't get the right info. Had to rely on Dragoness-chan 'cause something was wrong with my email link to you.**

**Voice Actors:**** Unknown.**

**-Neozangetsu- Maxwell Kazama.**** Does anything need to be said?**

**Voice Actors:**** Pre-Death- Barbara Goodson (English) Kaori Mizuhashi (Japanese)- Laharl (Disgaea)**

**Post-Death- Robert McCollum (English) Daisuke Ono (Japanese)- Kazuma Yagami (Kaze no Stigma)**

**I wanted a certain sempai to join, but he said he wasn't interested. Ah well…**

**Next Chapter!**

**-New Home, Meeting with the Mysterious Ninja. I'll leave you all to figure out the story until next time.**

-Dictionary-

Yoko- Demon Fox

Ryuu- Dragon

Tsuki- Moon

-maru- When added to a name, it usually means signifies you as a warrior or a fighter.

-chan- Term of familiarity with a girl. Usually used by guys who are close friends with a girl. Can also mean 'little'

-kun- Term of familiarity with a guy. Usually used by girls who are close friends with a guy. Also used by a teacher to address his or her students no matter what the gender.

-sama- Term usually meaning 'master'. Usually used by servants as a sign of respect.

-dono- A formal term that nobility usually uses to address other nobles. Also used by people to address people they respect greatly.

-sempai- A term that means upperclassman, used to refer to someone that has more experience or is in a higher grade. Used out of respect.

Shimatta- A curse. Usually meaning 'dammit' or something of the sort.

Itai- An exclaimation of pain. Usually used in anime. 'Ite' is a shorter way of saying it, but it just means the same thing.

Sugoi- Means cool or something


End file.
